Homecoming, Memorials, Turning 40

Next weekend is my freshman daughter's first homecoming!  She and one other freshman were invited to a formal dinner by a senior in the school to attend before homecoming (catered by her family's restaurant I would imagine).  These two girls were the only freshman invited so my daughter got a thrill out of that.  This senior is a very nice girl and has been nice to my daughter, despite the age difference the last few years.  Then she'll attend her first homecoming with a group of her friends (no dating yet).  This weekend is dress shopping so she's very excited.

Next weekend is also the weekend of my grandmother's memorial that I am not going to attend.  I won't ask my daughter to give up her first homecoming to attend a memorial in another state for somebody she didn't know (I hadn't seen her in years - we had a falling out due to the very strained - antagonistic, angry - relationship I've had with my father (her son) from the time I was a child (total dysfunction in the family...rotten).  Anyway, my father tried to lay a guilt trip on me about not attending the memorial but after the childhood he gave me and the fact that he moved to the other side of the country from his own kids, grandkids and mother with my most recent stepmother (not one of the women he cheated on my mother with...this was three girlfriends later...or four, I don't know - lost count), pfft. I'm sure he knows where I think he should put his guilt trip!

No matter how old you get (and I'm staring at 40 next month), the family dysfunction never really goes away.

Speaking of 40 - I received a compliment last night.  I overheard one of my son's friends say, "That's your mom?  She looks like a teenager!"  hee hee  40 isn't looking too shabby to me at the moment! Maybe I won't cry as hard as I think I will.