Out of the Mouths of Babes

My Daddy loved his beer. He drank Budweiser beer from a can with a dash (or two) of salt on the lid. So when I came of age (which was 18 in those days) I too drank my beer with a dash of salt. Later I learned that I liked beer from a bottle better than a can and a dash of salt was a waste of time. And then it was about that time that I quit drinking altogether. That lasted about twenty years. That’s not to say I didn’t have a glass of wine or a beer when I went out to dinner or at a party, but never at home or on a regular basis. I had four children to raise and a hard-working husband who did enjoy his two beers a night after a long day at work.

Today my children and their spouses are all hardworking fulltime employees and all enjoy a glass of wine or beer or two after work. I can’t begrudge them that. Times have changed and they are after all grownups raising their own children. After they were all grown and gone from the “nest” I found a wine I liked, and therefore enjoy a couple of glasses in the evening while cooking dinner, but I remember the first time I asked for a glass of wine in front of my children. It was unsettling to say the least. But I needn’t fear for they were all fine with it. That was years ago and it is nice to know that today my children and I see each other as equal adults and not parent and child.

That is why I am grateful my daughter felt comfortable about telling me this story on herself. The other day she came home from work and popped a can of beer. The baby came home from daycare sick and before she could drink her beer, the doctor’s office returned her call. She was surprised to hear they wanted to see the baby right then. My daughter called her three-year-old into the room and said she was taking the baby to the doctor. The three-year-old asked if Daddy was going to stay with her and my daughter said of course and she and the baby would be home soon.

Picking up the baby and heading out the door, the three-year-old cried, “Mommy wait.” My daughter turned and asked what was wrong. Her daughter responded, “You forgot your beer.”