Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Was told some interesting anecdotes by my wife when I got home from the PLC class this evening. On a Tuesday Erika often makes her way to a "coffee klatch" after picking Annie up from her morning stint at The Art Garage. She has become wary about going to these local mothers get-togethers, since she almost always seems to find herself saying the wrong thing, and for the most part has decided that the best course is to keep quiet and try to enjoy the company as best she can. But she still manages to somehow say the "wrong" thing -- or at least wrong from the other mother's perspectives.
One of the telling anecdotes was this: another of the other mothers was complaining that she didn't know what to do with her front yard -- should she set up a hedge, which while decorative would be bulky, or an iron fence, which would be practical but not necessarily esthetically pleasing. So Erika, drawing upon her extensive gardening experience, offered her some other ideas, such as other plants and bushes that might achieve the same effect as a hedge without being so bulky. The other mother then apparently got huffy and made the excuse that she had to go pick up her daughter.
Perplexed as to how she could have possibly said anything wrong, Erika mentioned this same story to her own mother at lunchtime. Her mother set her straight: what Erika should have done instead was to commiserate with the poor woman's dilemma over her hedge/fence choice, rather than offer practical advice.
It fits, but I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief at the story.
Erika says that it is experiences like this which is why most of her friends are men.
I love my practical-minded wife, and wouldn't have her any other way.
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
