Mommybrain

My mom just spent 10 days here with us. We flew her down to stay with Quinn while we were at SXSW Interactive in Austin. She flew home this morning. My dad missed her. A lot.

For the last, oh, 37 or so years of their marriage my Dad has brought my mom her morning coffee in bed. He figured out early on what it took to keep her happy. Coffee in bed aside, my Dad was always a very traditional sort of Dad. He was the bread-winner. He was final authority on all important decisions (so that would be a “no” to school dances). He did not do household chores and he certainly did NOT cook.

Over the years my mom’s back has deteriorated due to a degenerative disc disease. A while back my dad, even as traditional as he is, started doing the vacumming for her. Over time something about aging and retirement have softened him further. A few years ago he started doing the dinner dishes. And now that my little brother has recently moved out and they have an empty nest for the first time in 48 years (yes, seriously!) I think he’s gone a little stir-crazy. Mom says he makes the bed in the morning. He cleans up the kitchen at all times of the day. HE’S DOING THE LAUNDRY.

And then, tonight, she called me to tell me that he made her dinner. And I don’t mean he put a frozen pizza in the oven. There was chicken. And sauce. Made from scratch. With actual white wine in it. There was wild rice. There were garnishes on the plate. She said it was, and I quote, “A beautiful presentation”. My Dad + food preparation + plate presentation = anything is possible.