I finally get it

When I was little, well maybe not so little, I had to be at least 7 when this all happened, my parents did something that I have harbored against them, until now.

I was a bit of an, let's just say, emotional child.  Okay, I would melt into a heap of blubbering tears at the drop of a hat.  Oh my poor parents.  And it's only now that I really feel for them.  Now, when I am a parent.  A parent with children that try my patience at the drop of a hat.  A parent of a daughter who, at least for the last week or so, has dissolved into her own heap of blubbering tears.

I remember the evening with perfect clarity.  I remember sitting in my bed in tears, again.  I remember my mom and dad sitting, one on my bed, the other on the table between Julie's bed and mine.  My dad had just pulled out a small glass bottle with a black twist-cap, and was trying to catch my tears in it.  My mom began to tell me that if I kept on crying, I would use up all of my tears and then wouldn't have enough left for when I was an adult.  They were just trying to help me out, so I'd have enough tears for when it really mattered.  To illustrate the point both mom and dad asked if I ever saw them cry, really cry.  "no", to which they replied: "well that's because we used up so many of ours when we were little, that now we have to be careful with the few tears we have left, you don't want that, do you?"  Of course, this all made me cry even harder, about loosing all my tears.

Now, I see it as one of the funniest things that they ever did.  Because they did it so straight faced, and I'm sure, especially when I started to cry harder, they were barely holding in the laughter.  I may not have appreciated it then, but I am so glad that I have that memory of both mom and dad.  And I'm very glad to know that I came by it honestly, remember my own words of wisdom to my children?  Ah, I can hardly wait for what's to come.