alone with a big idea
Having friends who have hit a serious rough patch on the road of marital bliss has me thinking a lot lately about what makes a marriage work and what little things turn out to be hindrances. The standards- inattention, not making time to be friends and lovers instead of just parents and workers- are all present and accounted for. But another thought crossed the frontal lobe tonight: what about the big ideas? How often do married people actually talk about things of greater import than Bobby's baseball game or what color to paint the house? If one spouse is reading books and absorbing them and the other isn't interested and isn't reading them or discussing the ideas therein, eventually something unpleasant is going to happen. Because then you've got people with different ideas who can't communicate coherently about things that really matter.
A bright woman left to rot intellectually is going to cause trouble. Barefoot and pregnant is a fine distraction for a while but, eventually, there has to be a last baby. I think this strikes homeschooling moms extra hard because we are reading books and trying to introduce big ideas all the time but never get to get past a high-school level. Intellectually frustrated while living with teenagers and dealing with our own entry (or impending entry) into menopause and the next phase of life - a scary combo, that. Maybe we should stop sending silly teens to college before they know what they want and wait to send moms once their last child arrives at kindergarten age. There are a few classes I wouldn't mind taking.
Yesterday was our 18th anniversary. It seems like forever and it seems like a blink - all at the same time. He's still the first person I want to see every day so I guess some rash decisions do work out.
A bright woman left to rot intellectually is going to cause trouble. Barefoot and pregnant is a fine distraction for a while but, eventually, there has to be a last baby. I think this strikes homeschooling moms extra hard because we are reading books and trying to introduce big ideas all the time but never get to get past a high-school level. Intellectually frustrated while living with teenagers and dealing with our own entry (or impending entry) into menopause and the next phase of life - a scary combo, that. Maybe we should stop sending silly teens to college before they know what they want and wait to send moms once their last child arrives at kindergarten age. There are a few classes I wouldn't mind taking.
Yesterday was our 18th anniversary. It seems like forever and it seems like a blink - all at the same time. He's still the first person I want to see every day so I guess some rash decisions do work out.