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Topic: Pets (09/13/04)
TITLE: Parents Just Don't Understand By Jennifer Deibel 09/14/04 |
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This one time, for example, once I had gotten old enough for them to trust me at home alone, they had to leave for a meeting. Mom had just made dinner when they remembered, so they quickly kissed me goodbye and went on their way. They made a point to leave the chicken and potato casserole on the counter before they left. It smelled so good and it had been all day since I had eaten, I was just sure they had left it out for me. The only problem was that I was too short to reach it. So, I gingerly pushed a chair over to the counter, climbed on up and began to partake of the delightful ambrosia. The chicken tasted so good I could hardly control myself, but I realized that Mom and Dad would be hungry when they got home, so I saved them some potatoes. It didn’t seem like much time had gone by at all when they walked back in the door. I was so excited to see them I met them at the door. When they discovered all the chicken was gone, they scolded me. I just didn’t understand. Weren’t they happy that I had left them anything at all?
Another time, I was home alone and got a little bored. I had already done my normal activities for the day, and decided I was going to decorate the living room for them. I couldn’t drive to the store for decorations, so I had to make my own. I mustered up all the creativity that I could and used everyday items from around the house to spruce things up a bit. I even found ways to re-use some of the trash from the kitchen! I was so proud of my work. You see, when it comes to artsy things, I’m usually all thumbs, so to accomplish a feat of this magnitude was quite the success for me. Once I finished, all there was to do was wait. I played in the backyard, paced around the house making sure everything was exactly where I wanted it. It seemed as though weeks had passed before they arrived home. I met them at the door, barely able to contain my enthusiasm. I couldn’t wait to see their reaction to my special gift. Once again, I was scolded, reprimanded, and lectured about what I had done wrong. I just didn’t get it. But somehow, even though it was unfair, I couldn’t help but love them. Just moments later we were playing and laughing as if nothing had happened. Sometimes it seems as if I am a little more loyal to my parents than they are to me, but I realize that they are just so busy. I must be hard taking care of all the things they do.
Yes, I tell you what. Parents just don’t understand. It’s hard enough to communicate effectively in a typical parent-child relationship. It’s even harder when you don’t even speak the same language! They are slowly learning how to listen to me and understand my cries for attention. I’m convinced that one of these days, they’ll become fluent in Labrador.