Every time my family drives by a sign by the side of the road that says “Caution Loose Chips,” my daughter ends up in hysterics. She thinks it is about the funniest thing ever. I have come to believe every mother ends up as the butt of the family jokes. At least that has been my experience.
My poor mother used to get picked on and teased on family trips. We would often take it a step or two too far and hurt her feelings. You see we are a sarcastic family with a biting sense of humour. My mom is a sensitive soul at least when it comes to her family. She has a lot of time, emotion and money invested in her three children. She stayed at home to raise us when we were small. She gave up her career to focus on us. This is a sacrifice that I didn’t understand until I became a parent. Children can be harsh critics, and hard on your self-esteem. Society often gives lip service to stay at home moms but little respect.
When I was 7, my mom went back to work and was very successful in her job. Her organizational skills, people skills and her creativity were well suited to her new career. She worked her way up to be manager of a local fabric store. When the pressure of juggling work and family became a bit much, she retired and once again stayed home. I was 15 at the time and not all that impressed with suddenly having her eyes more focused on me. My brothers were already adults and working. For the first time in my life my mother had 100% of her attention on me. I was used to the divided attention of a third child.
I recall one incident where I was annoyed for having my mom ask me to help do the laundry. I was angry that I had to always do the “girl” jobs and never got the lawn mowing chore. So I attempted to storm out of the house. My mother was kind enough to stop me at the door and point out I wasn’t wearing any pants. They of course were in the laundry.
My mother will tell you I wasn’t the easiest teenager. Although compared to what some of my friends were up to I think she actually had it pretty good. Still as my children grow I can see the wisdom of many of the things my mother used to say. Things that we still sometimes tease her about. Like the time she threw frozen peas at my brother. He made the mistake of asking when dinner was after everyone in the family had already asked 10 times and no one bothered to make it themselves. I can still hear the sound of the frozen peas hitting the floor and our stunned silence. Thank goodness she was the first one to laugh or I think we would have been grounded for life after the laughter that ensued.
My children have similar stories about me. I have more than my fair share of quirks. Some of which my family find pretty amusing. You see, I love chips. My husband told the kids that every time he drives past one of those signs “Caution Loose Chips” signs on the road, he thinks of me. He imagines me running around like a mad woman trying to gather up a spilled bowl of chips so as not to waste a single one. The kids find this hilarious. No one gets between me and my chips.
I prefer to think of the sign more figuratively. I am full of “loose chips.” I’m a bit nutty. Being a parent will do that to you. It will also make you the butt of some jokes. My mother showed me that it is a right of passage. I know how I feel about my mom and why we sometimes like to tease her. I love her with all my heart, mostly because of her quirks. So I think my family’s teasing of me is the highest compliment I could ever get.