Or maybe it’s the difference between non-moms and moms, or maybe it’s just the difference between Sarah and me. I’m not sure, but yesterday’s edition of fwimsoup has left me feeling more than a shade irked but also amazed at how utterly differently Sarah and I view the most recent events in my household.

I really just don’t even know where to start here. I think I’ll just go with the one line that almost made my head explode.

“…just because Matt got suspended from school, and you were kinda down in the dumps about it, that doesn’t mean that you’re not punished anymore…”

I’m not sure where to even start with what’s wrong with that line. First, Matt wasn’t just “suspended from school”, although that’s bad enough. Matt stole something from one of our neighbors who was doing him a favor; proceeded to lie about it several times, including after he was caught; was given the opportunity to return the goods scot-free and didn’t; and then stored the stolen goods on school property. The kid didn’t get sassy with a teacher or forget to do a detention here. He committed a criminal act, and then he stashed his ill-gotten goods in his school locker. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s a weeeee bit more serious than the times when he was a toddler/pre-schooler and would defiantly unbuckle his carseat.

Second, I wasn’t just “kinda down about it”; I was genuinely questioning my value as a mother. I was reliving every moment of Matt’s life and beating myself in the head over all the mistakes I’ve made. I was fighting with the belief that I have failed him and that I’m still failing him, along with my other two children. If that qualifies as “kinda down”, I guess I’m hoping to God I never meet “really down”.

Last, fwimsoup has always been something I view as fun, rather than something I take at all seriously. It surely has never been and will never be something that replaces my obligations and responsibilities as a wife and parent. If I can fit it in, great. If not, that sucks, but oh well. Right now, my first priority is taking care of business with Matt, not making sure I have an edition of fwimsoup posted or a punishment fulfilled.

Don’t like that idea? Feel free to get bent.