Thursday, June 20, 2013

The Weigh In

No, this post isn't about weight, although you should know that I will be participating in a weight loss program at my doctor's office starting next Monday (when I get back from the beach--because foolish as I am to actually try to deprive myself of anything that tastes good, I at least have enough sense to start after I enjoy a shrimp po-boy or two.)

Actually, I'm writing as a follow up to the big shock I received New Year's Day--the one about my parents getting back together, later remarrying in early May, and finally relocating exactly 12.3 miles from my driveway a month ago.

I make it no secret that I wasn't exactly thrilled when I heard the big news. Shocked,worried, and weirded out actually better fit what I felt. While I don't recall either parent acting completely nasty to the other, (because I don't believe they would ever resort to that), I couldn't understand why they thought it was a good idea to get back together when so many years before, they had the bright idea to split up. (Ya'll can obviously tell that I'm not one of those glass-half-full people. I am, for better or worse, a realist.) I had gotten used to the eighteen-ish year reign of my parents' divorce, even though it's the only tragedy I'd ever experienced that even today, so many years later, I can't talk about all the way through without tearing up. However, the re-marriage and the move were happening whether I came on board or not.

Another thing I got nervous about was the move. My parents moved to Gluckstadt, which is the closest I've lived to either of them since I graduated from high school. I had gotten used to living somewhat on my own. (Here's a fun fact about me--I've never actually lived alone. Before college, I lived with one of my parents, during college, I always had roommates, and then I got married two weeks after finishing undergrad.) Throughout my adult life, I figured out how to take care of myself whenever I got sick, how to cook my own meals (after all, my mom was still just a phone call away), and how to raise my child without date nights and such. I took pride in those sort of things, so when my parents decided to move on in, I got a little scared of the change. My family's life was about to change. Now, I would just have to figure out some new routine even though I had what I thought was a quite perfect plan.

Now we're a month into this big change, and here's my assessment: It couldn't have gone better if we had tried. Now, I know why some kids move closer to their folks when they grow up. I enjoy getting to go to their house most days out of the week, mostly because Jude LOVES going to visit his Mimi and Grandpa Ron. A few weeks back, I got to actually go see my husband's rock band play, something I haven't gotten to do since I became a mother due to the fact that I don't have enough redneck in me to take a baby to a bar. My mother and I have had several impromptu outings since she's been here that usually involve a tasty lunch somewhere, and my dad and I have watched a lot of Milwaukee Brewers on T.V. They both have accompanied us to Jude's swim lessons, so now I have witnesses to my testimony that Jude will in fact be the next Michael Phelps. All in all, having the parents so close has ended up as a blessing for us.

I guess I just did what I do best--worried over nothing. However, I will weigh-in every so often about our arrangements, but for now, I see us only getting better.