My kids aren’t allowed to have bubblegum, because one of them has fillings and the dentist recommended avoiding gum. So, I just don’t allow either child to chew gum.

My mom knows this. And yet, every year the easter baskets (which the kids were given today, and trolled through for candy immediately) contained bubblegum balls. And every year, this year included, my mom acts surprised.

“Gum? That was gum? Oh I thought those were chocolates.”

* * *

Included with the easter baskets were piles of plastic “grass” — a decorative and utterly wasteful pile of frizzy plastic stuff whose only purpose is apparently to get spread all around the living room, making a huge mess when the neighbor’s boys came over to play. Mom sent them home as soon as she saw the mess.

PROBLEM! Those boys just made a mess! They have to clean up, THEN go home. But no, she asked them to go home and off they went. The girls and I cleaned up.

* * *

Also included in the easter baskets were two blank Thank You note cards and envelopes*.

Carla opened her card and peered at it. “Why does this say Thank You and have no writing in it?”

Mom: “Oh, I thought you might want to send a thank you note to… whoever you think of…”

****

TACKY, anyone??!!!???

*******

Deep breaths, deep breaths.

* EDITED …. when I got home and unpacked everything, I discovered there were actually FOUR blank thank you notes and envelopes. AND YET I haven’t sent her back one of them. It is hard to be enthusiastic about the weekend enough to send a thank you note.