The other day, brushing my son's hair, for some reason we are talking about height, and I say, it is unlikely you will be taller than 5'10, and he says "You mean I wont be taller than Anderson Cooper?". First there is this look of shock on my face, which clearly delights my son, then I say "No, you wont be taller than Anderson Cooper. How do you know the appoximate height of Anders?". Son- "Because you talk about him all the time". No, I don't.
At grocery store, son picks up container of peanut butter pretzels "Look mom, Anderson brand". (with a sort of tilt to his voice)
Son- "Why haven't you played video games lately?". Me- "I don't know, I don't feel like it.". Son- "I bet you would if there was some Anderson virtual reality game.". Well, maybe.
Husband last night, says "There should be a cold survivor, none of this tropical island stuff". I say "no way that would be too harsh" (I shiver just thining about it). H-"There should be a celebrity survivor, or a broadcasting one, and Anderson should be on it". Me "Maybe, he would have to be off work for a month". (yes, I would totally watch that. Not a surreal version, a real survivor)
There are many other examples of my family talking about Anders.
My point here is this, I think they are the ones who are always talking about Anderson. The Husand was the one who brought up and was talking about Anderson's height, not me. (I'm 5'3 and a half, as long as he is at least 5'4, it's good. I like to look up to a man, but I don't care how far. And anyway it is totally irrelevant) Yes, it is true I go on an Anderson blog (just 1), and okay, I go on it just about everyday, but I usually do this while son is at school. And yes I do watch 360 most weeknights, after son is in bed. But I don't walk around talking about Anderson. What would I say? I think the boy must not be asleep at night, and must hear my husband and I talking, while 360 is on. There is often a struggle for the remote control, as husband wants to watch fox, and wants to change channels frequently, I want to watch 360 and want husband to be quiet, but if he will watch, he will talk. He will talk about Anderson, and he will talk about the shows content. I think it is the Husband who talks about Anders in front of our son, during the day, Husband has been known to do Anderson impersonations (they are quite funny).
So really it is them. They bring him up, not me. But sadly that doesn't totally get me off the hook, because then I have to ask myself why. Why do they keep bringing up Anderson? Husband brings him up, at times to make fun of him, and to make sure I am clear on what Mr. Cooper's gender preferences are (Me- yeah, maybe, so). Both Husband and Son will bring him up to tease me. Since I do not walk around talking about Anderson to them, why would they walk around talking about Anderson to me? Because they know it is a good way to get my attention.
Which makes me feel bad, for like a nanosecond. I mean, bad mom and wife, not paying enough attention to family, that they must go out of their way to pick an obvious topic of her interest, to engage her. Then I find myself recalling how they go on and on and on and on and on, about politics (talk radio), and video games, and cartoons (both of them), in great detail, no matter how nicely (the first 100 times) or rudely (the times thereafter) I ask them to please stop, and how, they never listen to a word I say, so much so, that I really don't talk to them much anymore, certainly not about Anderson, and not about much of anything, unless I know it is a subject of interest to them. ( and still I am amazed at the number of times I have to turn off the sink while doing the dishes (or walk back down the stairs just after I had walked up them to go to bed) to hear what Husband is saying to me, and then when I respond, he doesn't say anything, and I say it again, and again, and then he says "what?". And I realize that even though he picked the topic, and I am responding to something he said, he has gone back to watching TV and isn't listening to me at all). So, really, I don't think I will feel bad, finally they are evolving, finally learning to pick a topic of interest to another person in an attempt to engage that person in conversation.
And I thought this day would never come.
No comments:
Post a Comment