Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Family Dinner

Had the Walking Guilt Trip over for dinner. It was very nice. Happy little extended family.

After dinner, The Walking Guilt Trip and I commense the necessary mother/daughter "small talk."

"How's your book coming?" she asks.

"Actually, I finished it." I hesitate to give my mother any good news without a justification, soI quickly amend, "Only the first draft, of course."

"Are you going to send it out to Publishers, then?" (Any publishers out there, please forgive my mother, she doesn't know what she speaks of. I wouldn't think so highly of myself as to send you any manuscript without an agent first accepting it as halfway decent.)

"It's just a first draft, Mom, I still have to revise it like 16 times before I can send it out."

"Not if you're good enough." Is it just me, or does anyone else now assume they're not "good enough" either??

Rather than blow a gasket as I might normally do, only to have a ridiculous guilty conscience later, I try to calmly explain why this comment may offend me. "It's not good enough Mom, and can you understand how telling me that if I was good enough it could be published right away might make me feel more like I've failed at something rather than accomplished something?"

I thought I was AVOIDING a guilt trip...hahaha The Walking Guilt Trip knows no boundaries! She began to CRY. On cue. Immediately. "Oh Penney, can't I do anything right?"

Oh glorious guilt trip! YOU MADE YOUR MOTHER CRY!

1 comment:

  1. I never saw this post either.

    I kid you not, the only thing different between our mothers is that mine would say "I am sorry you feel like I am not a good mother, I am doing the best I can."

    If she says I am doing the best I can one more time, I am going to off myself

    ReplyDelete