Christmas for the Kids?
Okay. Fine. Be that Way!
This year my family decided to only give Christmas presents to the kids. That sounded great until I realized I wasn’t one of the kids anymore.
On my mom’s side of the family, my cousin and I have been its youngest members for a long time. It seems like we’ve always been “The Girls.” We were The Girls even after we both got married. But then she had a daughter and things changed, and now we’re formally and firmly in the adult wing of the family.
Sometimes change is slow, and the longer it takes for that change to happen, the more comfortable you get where you are. Eleven months younger than my cousin, I was comfortable being the baby of the family. No I didn’t get money in my birthday cards anymore, but I still felt favored; that is until the new people started showing up.
My cousin’s daughter is breathtakingly beautiful and smart, with a glare that could wither Medusa. And yet, it was hard watching her get all the clothes and books that used to be mine. Of course, I’d have trouble squeezing into a 3T, and I prefer Stephen King to Dr. Seuss, but that’s not the point. Sitting at the kid’s table had it’s perks. Without the responsibilities of adulthood you are free to be unrepentantly selfish. I miss that.
I think I feel a second childhood coming on.
Happy Holidays Everybody!
© 2007, 2008 Leighann Lord
A very funny lady on the stage and on the page, stand-up comedian Leighann Lord pens a weekly humor column with topics ranging from the personal to the political, from the silly to the sophisticated. Reminiscent of a modern day Erma Bombeck (famed nationally syndicated humor columnist), a fan dubbed Leighann, “The Urban Erma” and the name stuck. It’s a fun, fast read that leaves you laughing, or at least wondering why we don’t have a comprehensive mental health care plan. Visit Leighann at MySpace.
