Well, after that dog blatantly copied her, she had to do something.

brenda is right. I gotta hang here by myself for a second.

Yay! My mother is taking me apple picking!

About to head back to the airport. Wedding was wonderful.

Am trying to be upbeat about something. At dinner with my parents, another couple, and HPF, DH and I got sucked into a discussion of teaching, multiple careers, and publishing. The other couple is my parents age, but we have similar experiences. HPF was listening carefully, but pretending not to, which had me kind of amused. My dad rarely acknowledges that I have had a career of any sort, because in grand family tradition, teaching doesn't count - especially women teaching (I know. It is stupid, but Sparky will back me up), but sciences do - and writing fiction is ... not viewed as anything of note. Aside from jumping in once to ask me to google his PhD thesis title in case he didn't recall it correctly (yes. At dinner), dad kept his opinions to himself. I was glad HPF got to be part of a conversation about a range of careers, with both women and men participating.

As we left the restaurant, dad says, loudly, "I'd forgotten you'd done a little work with computers!" And I said, "I know," and left it. Because Not Getting Into That. And HPF wasn't listening to him. ... So he said it again in the car. While sitting next to HPF. And she said "mom does lots of things. So do I." And my dad started to talk right over her about all the computer work he's done. Like nothing else - and no one else - mattered. Again.

I pulled HPF aside and complimented her comeback, and left the conversation open, but I am so angry that he shut her down - again - and sad over the whole scene. It was a really nice conversation until then.

I'm probably overreacting because travel tired and family drama and OMGWTF congress and things.

Burrell, Hugh Jackman sounds awesome.

Sox, you did what you could. And so did your daughter.it is important to know that peoples you care about can have big blind spots.

HPF has your back and knows what's what. I wish the same could be true of your dad.

We had a friend who always talked over me, and I don't think he realized it. I once did a test and let a conversation lapse. I let it go for nearly two minutes, and as soon as I started to say something, the friend leaped in. I just shook my head and made a mental note.

We do google at dinner a lot, and often to prove each other wrong, but not to put each other down--that's a big difference, and I'm glad that HPF can see what's being modelled and can reject it. That's something to be positive about right there. Good raising!

Friends used to get anxious about how much my family talks over each other, but I think it explains too much about my style of, ah, discourse, and once I realised we do it (and have to--I've tried not, and you just don't get to say anything) I had something to struggle against doing with other people (and especially at work). We are allowed to do a "No, seriously, I want the floor for five minutes, everyone else shut up until I'm done, okay?" from time to time.

I got out of bed at 6am today to Google whether or not Laura Ingalls Wilder had lived in South Dakota. For a bet with my husband. And the bet was over sex.

HPF has your back and knows what's what. I wish the same could be true of your dad.

Yes, this.