Guest Post: Blog Exchange

Please welcome my guest poster today from Goosie, Mousie, Daddy and Me. She's got "a pre-schooler destined for a career as a lawyer, a baby whose screams can shatter glass, a man who can drink his own weight in Natty Light, and a woman who's just trying to keep the kitchen floor clean, dammit." And come check me out here.


Mother, may I...?

Yes, that's correct. Not "...can I?" Because, well yes, you CAN. But MAY you? Heck no.

I grew up with several standards of behavior. Sitting/standing up straight. Saying "please" and "thank you". Responding "he/she can't come to the phone right now" when receiving a telephone call for an absent parent. But using proper grammar was also very near the top of the list.

To this day, it sticks with me. I have a hard time uttering the word "ain't". I correct Tacy when she begins a sentence with "Me and so-and-so". I can hardly keep from wincing noticeably when I hear people say "between he and I" or "she and myself will do such-and-such".

I listen to people talking and giggle inwardly at what the conversation would look like if it were written down, word for word. Nonsensical sentence fragments, pauses filled with "uh" and "like", thoughts ending in "whatever" or "sooooo...."

By no means do I think I speak perfectly. I don't write perfectly, even though I have the luxury of re-reading my words and editing them. Speaking well is significantly more difficult, and I know that if I were to record my own words and play them back, I'd be mortified.

So if and when I meet you, please don't expect too much. I will use "may" and "can" properly, I will use the correct pronouns and in the correct order, and you will not hear me say the word "ain't". But those vestiges of Valley Girl are still present, and I can't promise that I will refrain from saying "like". Because, like, I really want to chat with you at BlogHer. May I?


These posts are part of our May Blog Exchange on the theme Mother May I. Click around to read some of the other posts: Nancy, Vicki, Julie, Chase, Stacy, Christina, Jen, Mabel, TB, Mel, Izzy, Mayberry Mom, Amy, and Laurie. If you’d like to participate in the June Exchange, please email Kristen at kmei26 at yahoo.com. Enjoy!