Skip to main content

Absent children

And so the holidays continue, and so my children are ever more absent. Abi has obviously been at Angie's for what seems like forever, and even Izzy has been in and out and then this weekend took a leaf out of her sister's books and disappeared as well - I'm getting a good sense of what it will be like in a few years and I don't think I'm ready!

So despite my complaining, Abi did make it home (briefly) this weekend, with lots of stories of her 10 days away to regale / fill me with horror in equal measures. We've hardly heard from her while she has been away, mainly as she has been with Grace and when the two of them are together they clearly need no-one else. Both Angie and Russell were at pains to say to me just how proud I should be of her though - apparently the two of them have worked tirelessly and without complaint. They have been up first thing, getting on with he jobs they needed to do, anticipating additional work needed and getting it done before without ever having to be asked. Is this really my child I ask myself, the same one who has to be told 20 times just to pick her towel up off the bathroom floor?!?

As a reward for so much hard work they went to the festival where they got to see a bunch of bands I would have liked to see - typical! I'd like to think they went in smelly jodhpurs but again, no. Grace sis their make up and off they went, Abi dressed in Grace's clothes it seems. Grace is 15 - eek! There is a filter on this photo but even so Abi looks way older than she is sometimes - I'm off to put my head in the sand somewhere! Luckily I think horses are still far more interesting than anything else for both of them and long may that continue.

Abi came home in a smelly, slightly grumpy heap and we had to do the inevitable transition from 2 weeks of significant freedom (she's been living in the caravan with Grace) to being back under house rules. We managed to find some common ground in the end and the 3 of us (me, Abi and Izzy) settled down on the sofa together to watch a bit of TV and chat - some equilibrium finally. This then erupted when I said we were going to Sharron's birthday party the following day, Abi said she wasn't going and wanted to go to Mia's and everything got shouty again. I remlented in the end and said "fine, go to Mia's", checked whether that was a possibility with Mia's Mum, only for Abi to then shout at me for trying to run her life for her - I can't win!!! In the end we all went to the party (cue shouting from Glenn because of the traffic) - happy families (ha ha ha).

Having got to the party at 2:30pm, by 4pm Glenn was itching to leave (it's a 200 mile round trip - I was hoping to stay just a bit longer!). Cut a long story short I managed to drag it out until about 4:30pm, at which point Izzy decided to stay and come back with Jon and Lucy (Lucy being allowed to stay until 5pm by Jon who is almost as bad as Glenn). Half way home and we get a call to say "Can I stay with Simon and Sharron, Simon will bring me back on Monday" so that's what she did - only Izzy would end up having a sleep over with the birthday girl at a 50th birthday party!

It mattered not a jot that she had no PJs / underwear / washbag - all of this can be overcome and so it was, with a shopping trip today followed by the biggest ice creams Ive seen for a while and a long bubble bath - Izzy is in her element! She may come home, but reluctantly I think.

So Abi then disappeared to Mia's after the party and we got her back at lunchtime, just in time for me to feel we'd re-connected as I drove her back to Angie's for another week. I'm sure it gets easier, and already it was easier as we had the time together in the car which was great, she was chatty and happy and the lovely smiley version of my daughter that I'm desperate to hold onto. Grace isn't there this week either which means Ive had 2 phone calls this evening - more than I had I think in the whoe 10 days she was there previously.

I know they are growing up, I know I should pride myself on the independent girls I've brought up who others are more than happy to have with them, but I will admit to the fact that I'm finding the transition hard. I love the additional freedom it gives me and us as a couple, but I miss them needing to be close to me. I should console myself with Abi's words "I do need you Mummy, just not as much" - never a truer word spoken!


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diary management!

This part of the summer is definitely typified by me trying to remember who is supposed to be where and when. Abi likes to be off doing something with someone while Izzy is happier to know she's close to home and so for the last week they've gone their separate ways. Abi has been down in Somerset making the most of Ben and Laurie being about. From what I can tell she's having a lovely time. Apart from the covert phone call one evening to tell me she was 'starving'  (Mum was cooking for the hordes and so it had been delayed), I've barely heard from her. The few calls I have had have very quickly ended in "can I go now" like I'm making her speak to me! Today she switches from Mum and Dads to a night or two with Kerrie - not sure who is more excited! Izzy didn't want to be away for that long so she opted not to go. She's very conscious that Abi and Laurie are joined at the hip when together and Ben has his own things he wants to do so she ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sunny days

As we stare down the barrel of a second national lockdown I'm not ashamed to report that I'm feeling pretty angry about the whole thing. So much for 'world beating test and trace' systems and the ability to get super granular with the way in which we respond to coronavirus. I get the fact that nationally we are seeing rates of infection and (apparently) hospital numbers rising, but the data says that in our neck of the woods we have 3(3!) cases per 100,000 people and so I cannot see why we should have to lockdown in the same way that Bolton needs to when their rates are at 190! The average for England is 16 so surely we aren't at a point where we need to take the same approach everywhere? Part of the reason I'm ranting so much is that after 2 weeks back at school I'm finally getting my Izzy back again. She has thrived with the social interactions school gives her and (although she complains about it) has loved being back. Instead of the morose, withdrawn gir...
Post a Comment
Read more

Blame the jet stream...

Shed prep, with oversight from the dogs Apparently we have the jet stream to blame for the truly awful weather we are having right now. I blame our builder - if he had got his act together and sorted out Glenn's workshop roof as he promised, sods law the sun would be shining from dawn to dusk. Instead it's still pouring every half hour and Glenn is constantly worried about how much water is coming though the roof / walls / floor etc. Apparently he 'literally' just needs to put the ridge on the top and the gully down the side and it will all be fixed. We are literally at the point of wanting to do him some actual bodily harm. The moment he disappears the better. This week he was also literally going to clad the office ("done") and has failed everyday to turn up and do it (which in my book is literally not "done"). He was also going to have Gary come and finish the electrics (not done), whack down the paving slabs (not done), render the last of the bri...
Post a Comment
Read more