Runs in the family ...

I guess I look like and remind my Mom of her Tia Angelina. She was telling me this past weekend that her aunt was always quick with a joke, always on the go, and always the first one to defend my Mom - especially when she would bring my Mom home and yell at my Grandmother telling her that she is not to be punishing my Mom. There's not much to tell in this post ... I just didn't want to forget who my Mom really thinks I remind her of. Tia Angelina. My grandmother's sister.

Nights Out?

I recently had a discussion with my Mom about nights out without your spouse/significant other or whatever. Growing up, I always thought my parents were joined at the hip and one would never go anywhere without the other (and with us children in tow as well). I was pretty surprised to hear that my parents would routinely go out without each other.

My Mom said that it was stupid to be stuck in the house with each other, and that couples that are attached at the hip are uber-jealous. She said that eventually you just run out of stuff to talk about - and get on each other's nerves if you don't have space.

When my parents were first married and had just had my sister, they were still living in Terceira. My mother said that pretty much every single week, my father would go to the movies on Friday nights, and she would go to bingo on Saturday nights. (The fact that she went to BINGO still astonishes me!) That way, they wouldn't have to impose on their parents or anyone else to watch my sister and they'd each get to do something that they'd enjoy.

Imagine - all these years I thought for sure they'd never left each other's side. And here I was in the midst of this conversation of the importance of space in a relationship with my MOM! Mindblowing. You sort of forget that your parents were young once and had lives. I'm glad to have had that conversation with her. And wish my father were here to add his anecdotes to the story - because I'm sure there would've been some!