We are leaving our eldest son with his grandparents for the week and they brainstormed a long list of activities from which to choose. While reviewing the list with us, my father-in-law says:
"Oh, do you think he will enjoy riding the tractor?"
"Are the mower blades installed yet?" I reply.
"Well, yeah, of course."
"Then I'd prefer you not take him on the tractor," I hear myself say.
{SILENCE}
{mother-in-law and father-in-law exchange a look; i feel my ears burning}
I know they will respect my wishes but it is clear they aren't convinced I am making a rational request.
To be fair: I am not sure it's rational either.
I have a thing about lawnmowers.
When I was younger I would mow the lawn and the whole time I would be planning out the steps I would need to take in the event I accidentally ran over my foot - or another person's foot - knowing the habit my siblings had of darting across the lawn right in front of me. So it seems reasonable that I would not feel excited to seek out opportunities for our kids to ride lawn-mowing capable tractors
{despite the sentimental attraction to the childhood event}
Added to my own internal neurosis is an external factor:
as an ER social worker,
I have had to sit alongside grandparents and parents as they wait for their kiddo who is in the operating room for surgery following a partial amputation from an incident with a riding lawnmower...
on which the mower blades were NOT engaged!
{a couple of cases came in just in the past 2 months}
So, yes.
I can appreciate how much fun our sons' cousins had on the tractor last week
{the pictures and videos are totally adorable, i bet. and p.s. did you really think peer pressure would work?!?}
but I am not down with it. This is one part of my crazy I can't tamp down - despite best efforts.
I will accept the paper plate award on this decision:
Crazy Mom
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