Posted by Gary_CA on 12/6/06 11:56am
Msg #164280

OT How long is mom's arm?

The men among us may remember being 15... and the ladies having 15 yr old sons... you know when you just couldn't help but smarting off... and you had to know just exactly how long mom's slappin' arm was so you could stay just an inch out of range... Come on 'fess up, you know what I'm talkin' about.

Well it's been over a score of years since I was 15... but I'm up to my elbows in work (I do property valuations and every day I'm getting 3 days worth of orders... and accepting them all cause I know Jan can be lean... so I'm chasing my tail all day everyday) anyway... I'm stuck by myself and my butt is the shape of my chair and my eyes are the shape of my monitor... and I've just been in that kinda mood for a day or more...

Heck I tried to pick on Brenda about her football... campers thought I was gonna get a 2x4... but I couldn't get no satifaction...

So anyway...

Your mama wears combat boots... and you don't know a venue from a menu...

Ah... I feel better now.

Reply by Poppy on 12/6/06 12:41pm
Msg #164290

You better be careful Gary... I have a feeling Texas mama's

arms have a long enough reach to get you in CA.

Reply by Lisa Prestegard on 12/6/06 12:45pm
Msg #164291

As for my arm...

it isn't necessary. See, Gary... I am Italian. My son (now 25) knows the relation between the time it will take him to reach the front door and the time it takes me to reach for a wooden spoon. I fling one of those with the deadly accuracy of a Ninja using a katana blade

Poor kid... he still flinches when I reach for a wooden spoon.

Reply by Charm_AL on 12/6/06 2:18pm
Msg #164311

Re: As for my arm...

my arm travels, if the kid runs, I run faster. My 16 yr old knows not to bother for getting twice as much for taking off.

Reply by Lisa Prestegard on 12/6/06 4:24pm
Msg #164356

Re: As for my arm...

Ahem... my children BOTH know that if, God forbid, they should actually try to outrun me.... well, let's just say they have to come home sometime. My son (the less-bright of the two children) will head for the door. Once the spoon hits, my work is done and he knows it's safe to reappear, but with a much-changed attitude
He's also the dish-soap afficianado.
The girl... well, she's a quick study. She's seen what will befall inappropriate behaviour and acts accordingly.

Reply by Gary_CA on 12/6/06 2:18pm
Msg #164312

The most fun I ever had with this...

I was home from college for the weekend, so I was 18-23... Scott my brother 5 years younger...

Mom and Dad are gonna go to the wine country for the weekend and they're packing getting ready to go. Stress levels are up, they're running late...

One of us does something that gets a rise out of mom... then the other separately, does something and she snaps back... I forget what... I do remember this...

All of a sudden in dawns on the both of us and we look at each other with that twinkle in the eye and decide to play "Pick on Mom, Tag Team"

Dad's observing all of this and it dawns on him what's going on... when she steps out of the room he whispers to us... but with a real threat in the whisper...

"Listen you $%#$@s I have to spend the whole weekend with her, knock that #%^@$ off... we had to go outside, we couldn't contain the laugh...

Reply by Charm_AL on 12/6/06 2:26pm
Msg #164314

My Mom...

Ms. Prefecto served with a red ribbon, and as I call her MommieDearest in a most loving way....could never drop it. She would bi*ch at me ALL day and ALL night. To top it off my Dad, aunts, uncles, grandmother and anyone else she knew would hear about it too! geezeeee....it would take two or three days to live down a mess-up.

Reply by Gary_CA on 12/6/06 2:40pm
Msg #164319

And that's how you became detail oriented...

enough to be a Notary no less...

you oughta send her 10% of your signing income.


Well maybe not...

Reply by Lisa Prestegard on 12/6/06 4:24pm
Msg #164357

That is a stitch, Gary! n/m

Reply by christiSocal on 12/6/06 6:11pm
Msg #164391

My sons know

They are bigger, faster and stronger....But... I'm still MEANER!

Reply by Lisa Prestegard on 12/6/06 8:51pm
Msg #164420

One of my favorite lines is...

"old age and treachery will always triumph over youth and inexperience". And I am OLD and TREACHEROUS

Reply by christiSocal on 12/6/06 8:58pm
Msg #164421

I'm gonna have to use that one! Thanks. n/m

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 12/7/06 5:38am
Msg #164467

Cripe am I a sap - this whole thread sent me down the memory path, made me TEAR UP because for a moment - a fleeting moment - I actually missed the time when my kids were the horrid age of late adolescence. The first thing to go is the memory - well, the first MEMORY to go is the BAD stuff. Why does it always look so darn rosey when you look back? IT WAS HORRID!!

I'd give my right arm (no, wait, that's my stamping arm - make it the left arm) to have the reams of stuff I made my son write. Oh, he hated writing and I was wicked - none of this "write 30 times" crap! I wanted his brain engaged ... so it was "Give me 30 reasons why THAT wasn't such a hot idea - complete sentences, neat hand-writing and SPELLING ALWAYS COUNTS." Those assignments were a riot, I sure wish I'd saved them.

That kid - augh! I remember once I pulled up into the driveway (we had 10 acres) and said to him "when you get out, I want you to pick up all the fallen tree limbs" (we'd had a huge storm). He was 15 - didn't WANT to do that. Too bad, you're doing it, this isn't a democracy. He got out of the car, walked around the back of it - and (not bright here) I happen to be looking in my rear view mirror, and he flips me off!

I'm 5 ft even, he's twice my size then - I CHASED THAT KID I swear over all 10 acres. Finally, he just stopped, stood there. I stopped. Stood there. DANG I started to laugh, the whole thing was so ridiculous. He laughed - he thought for a moment he was off the hook. I then asked for 30 reasons why THAT wasn't such a hot idea, and 30 alternatives he COULD have chosen instead.

Reply by BrendaTx on 12/7/06 7:31am
Msg #164481

Re: OT How long is mom's arm? Renee'

23 days until my son's wedding. Last night he and I had one of those talks about life, marriage, the maturing process, parenting, goals... and on and on. I am glad to report this mom's arm seems to have done it's job. Sniff.

However, this thread makes me reflect on me being really angry at him about three years ago--he was 22. I am also nearly a foot shorter than my son. I grabbed his arm and "spanked" it just above his elbow while he's just laughing at how ridiculous it is. Okay, that was dumb and one of those "remember when..." stories.

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 12/7/06 9:20am
Msg #164507

Brenda - all I have to (sniff) say is ...

I guess a 'good & successful' life is equal to the amount of kleenex used. First, for their runny noses and then for our sappy-azzed memories from then on. Even for the hurt and pain, during which you never get any closer to the precious sweetness of it all.

OMG someone please send some estrogen, fast!

Reply by christiSocal on 12/7/06 1:29pm
Msg #164592

Heres one for the daughters

My 20 year old is a singer in the worship band at our church. Last Sunday I looked at her and noticed the high heels she was wearing. She looks all grown up, but my mind went right back to her at about 8, putting on a pair of my heels and tottering around.... Dang good thing I keep kleenix in my purse.