Eileen and Larry Somers

One of the things I heard a LOT in the late 70s / early 80s: "Watch your tone of voice!" I would snarl back, " What tone of voice?" I had so much attitude! When I was older (young 20s), I apologized to my mom for how awful I had been as a 13-year-old (and 14, 15, . . . ). She just laughed. "Seriously, mom. I was such a brat. I'm so sorry for how I talked to you." She shrugged it off. I think she was waiting for me to experience that with my own children. Alas, she didn't realize that my boys were very different than their mom had been as a teen. None of them was ever as awful to me as I was to my own mother! I'm glad I apologized to her when I did. Even though we had another twenty or so years together, I feel as though my ability to reflect and appreciate only grow with my own aging. I can now better understand how she could be so sanguine about my youthful awfulness.

I don't want to start another blog specifically for our dad, Larry Somers. But as I sort through papers and think of things I'd like to "keep" while I clear clutter, I think I'll just add them to mother's blog. I don't think she'd mind. I found this in with my dad's financial papers (my parents didn't get rid of very many pieces of paper . . . ). I hadn't realized that he started working at Suburban even before Louise was born! I knew that it was the only job I was cognizant of him having and that's because it *was* his only job during my lifetime until he retired! He had so many stories about working at Suburban Wood Products. Most of them reflected his unhappiness with his job there. As a kid, I once asked him why he didn't quit if he was so unhappy. That didn't go over well! I didn't realize until I was an adult that his negativity was part of his identity. It's sad that he lived a "glass half full" ...