Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Oh Come On!!!

While Seoul was napping, I managed to get a few moments in of cleaning before Raelynn came back from the park with her grandparents. I just kind of went around the house sporadically. It wasn't my intention...it's just that I seriously became distracted. I threw in a load of laundry and then attempted to get the dusting done. And then I would see something else and stop doing what I was doing until I effectively did little bits around our whole apartment.

One of those little things was to organize a shelf in Raelynn's room that had all her hair stuff on it. See, every morning when MIL picks her up, she puts Raelynn's hair into a ponytail. And then she puts 2 barrettes in to keep her hair from coming loose and getting into her face. But she picks the same barrettes EVERY day. Whether they match or not. Even though there are about 30 different barrettes she could choose. So I thought I'd tidy up the area and put all big bows and clips in one container; hair ties in another container; and barrettes in yet another container.

So as I was doing that, I could now see the rest of the shelf. Because as you know, MIL has to knock everything over and spill it and of course not clean it up. Once I put all the items in containers, I then discovered this:
I knew MIL did it as soon as I saw it. I brought it to Jeremy though and asked him if he did it. Because if I outright blame her, he'll get defensive. No, he tells me, it wasn't him. He asked me if I thought Raelynn did it. While I'll concede that's a possibility as she's broken plenty herself, Raelynn NEVER puts a broken item back where it belongs. She leaves it out in the middle of everything. Or shoves it behind the couch. She has never once put a broken thing back in its' place. So I tell him this and I tell him I think his mom did it because she's the one who does Raelynn's hair in the mornings and instead of using the brush on her hair, MIL and her pea-brain always use the comb. Because of course!

Now, I know what you're thinking. But Jenn! It's just a fucking cheap-ass comb. Get over it! Oh sweethearts, please. I don't care about the comb. It's the principle of the whole thing. She breaks the comb and then puts it back on the shelf. Who could use this thing now? THROW IT OUT! Tell us you broke the comb. We have other combs. But no. She just puts it back on the shelf like nothing's the matter. She never says sorry when she breaks things either. Remember when she broke my 2 favorite mugs?!? And all the other shit she's broken. Like the Baby Bjorn chair! Not one sorry out of her. It's not in their culture which makes me angrier every time I hear that. You know why? Because I try very hard to incorporate some of the Chinese culture in my life. I'm not always successful but I do try because I want to make my husband happy and I want my daughters to embrace the Chinese part of their heritage as much as their American part.Why is it so hard for her to say "sorry" then? She could say it in Chinese and I'd understand just fine.

And honestly, if this comb was the only thing she had ever broken in our home, I wouldn't even give a shit. It's the culmination of broken things that have been put back broken over these last few years that just make me want to scream like a banshee before punching her in the throat as I tell her "OH COME ON!!!!! JUST FUCKING SAY YOU'RE SORRY! GAH!!!!" But my husband wouldn't be keen on that so all I can do is give her a dirty look and pray even harder that we can move home very soon. Oh and of course, use a different comb.

4 comments:

  1. Oh, how I loved your articles about MIL braking stuff. You know, whenever we have MIL over something is braking as well. Last summer she broke our toaster and other small kitchen stuff. This spring she broke even more. And then she puts everything back where it belongs, even the broken stuff!
    She always says it isnt her fault, the stuff is not good enough...yeah right

    ReplyDelete
  2. LMAO! I guess this is an old Chinese MIL thing then. How do you break a toaster, exactly? Does your wife say anything to her about it? I bet your MIL never says sorry either. How annoying! When's your trip to Xi'an? I hope you go there and break things in her house. We don't go to my in-laws' house anymore since having the baby. They know it's easier for them to come here but next time we go, I am finding something to break. I would love if you wrote a blog post about the stuff she broke in your house on your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We ar enot sure yet when we go there as it will depend on what kind of job I get in Germany.
    Yeah, she never said sorry about the things she broke...on the toaster there is usally this kind of metal stuff you can put up so you warm up bread (or something like that, cant explain it really) and well, she ripped that off...
    My in-laws place is actually nice as they just renovated everything in 2011 however it is also small with just 55sqm. So this time we go to China we will stay in one of these kind of apartment hotels nearby :)
    I am planning on writing an article about the stuff she broke but well, its still only in the planning phase :p

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ok, I know what you mean - that part inside the toaster that pushes the toast up when it's done turning from bread into toast, right? How in the world could you break something like that?!? Good thing you get to stay in a hotel. I would go insane if I had to reside under the same roof as my in-laws, even just on a trip. When MIL goes home, I practically throw a party each evening. Tonight is Friday so she won't come for dinner. I am celebrating with champagne. Seriously! =)

    ReplyDelete