I hope the son is awful enough that he deserved the brush-off he got in her obituary. Otherwise, that was just cruel. (And I got a little confused about the sort-of-grandson who apparently tortures family pets???) I'm all for a light-hearted, funny, self-written obituary, but this was a bit weird.
I'm sorry to be "that person" but it's tow-headed! I can't tell you how long it's going to be before I can get that image of toe-headed children out of my head! (No wonder they're photographed; kids with toes for heads...that would be something to see!)
Or, from the new couple's perspective, if someone is that *insensitive* (i.e., the obsessive mother who collected and saved her son's pocket contents for what must have been well over a decade), I see many, MANY more problems down the road. I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree on this one Benjamin.
I think "the kid" (aka the man who just got married) isn't the issue -- the potential problem/awkwardness would be from the perspective of the bride (aka the woman who probably has a million dreams of what their new home together will look like -- none of which includes this monstrosity.)
My own mom overstepped bounds when my brother got married (e.g., planting flowers in their front yard as a surprise, buying things for their house) and it caused a lot of problems then and down the line. I always try to keep that in mind when approaching my own venture as a mother-in-law. Now, to be perfectly fair, the mother (in law) may have known her son's bride so well that she was CERTAIN it would be accepted happily. I just don't think it's a good idea for others to copy without thinking.
I loved Inara (and her gorgeous wardrobe) but, I don't know if her professional garb is really, you know, wedding gown material? After all, for all their sexual tension, Mal had a real problem with Inara being a "working girl."
As a new mother in law, I make it a point to 1. Never give a gift to my son and daughter in law that is intended to be displayed since they'd feel obligated to at least drag it out when I visited, even if it wasn't their style or they hated it. 2. Never give a gift that says "He's been my son a lot longer than he's been your husband." (like this does is great big passive aggressive letters.) 3. Never give a gift that is this freaking hideous (unless you make it VERY clear that they can dump out all the garbage in it, and the sooner the better.)
Didn't do anything for me. 1. Unless the artist did not realize the purpose of the exercise (which I doubt), he automatically drew the self-described versions as less attractive. 2. General politeness kind of dictates that we don't brag when describing ourselves so, without that, we are likely to use any other identifying markers (which are typically going to be non-braggy things like crows feet and freckles.) 3. General politeness also dictates that we aren't rude to, or about, other people so when describing strangers, we would naturally be more positive and praising than looking like a jerk and pointing out their flaws.
Of course (although we LOVE to beat ourselves up as a country, because it's not really *us* but some undefined *them* who are doing things wrong) the chart does not reflect a couple of things. First, a whole lot of people were suddenly dumped into the overweight and obese category when the powers that be got rid of the small, medium, and large body frame divisions. And, second, a lot fewer people are smoking today than they did in 1985, which also impacts weight. (I always loved this quote from Dead Like Me -- Daisy Adair: I died in 1938, for exercise we drank sloe gin and smoked Lucky Strikes.) I'm not saying people haven't gotten heavier but that the issue is more complicated than it looks.
I agree -- it's the pitting the kids against one another for mom's love that struck me so wrong. BTW, I'm not sure why part of my comment was deleted (I guess calling someone nasty is an insult but calling them awful (as someone else did) is fine...go figure.)
And don't her kids all look happy and well-adjusted? I see lots of escapism (drugs, etc.) once they hit teenage years and lots of therapy when they hit adulthood. Success in life is important but not nearly so important as having the security of a family that's loving and supportive [Deleted - No insults please]
I think there could be a happy medium between the cheesecake superhero look and this. The design is just kind of baggy and schleppy-looking to me (and I'm all for comfortable clothes.) I mean the pants on WW are awful (aside from the horrid color, I swear I can feel the 1960's-grade scratchy polyester from here!) And the tops? Kind of ugly. The whole look kind of reminds me of the "modesty-protecting" athletic gear designed for Muslim women -- heavy, functional, and just basically unflattering (not that they should be drool-inducing, but, no woman really loves looking frumpy.)
But there *is* something wrong with using steroid and other drugs. They not only skew the playing field to the point that authentic, non-drug-using athletes cannot fairly compete through natural skill or grueling training but these "additive" also have horrible effects on the human body. Rules must be enforced across the board to prevent damage to what should be some of the healthiest people on earth.
While I'm 100 percent a get-to-the-point person when it comes to informational conversation or writing, the philosophy doesn't hold when you come to literature (including Shakespeare!) -- if the writer is a good one he or she has a reason for each word or line. Cut it down and you're left with the Reader's Digest, Cliff Notes, or Classic Comics version. Yes, you get the gist of it but it's hardly the same, or intended, experience.
My own mom overstepped bounds when my brother got married (e.g., planting flowers in their front yard as a surprise, buying things for their house) and it caused a lot of problems then and down the line. I always try to keep that in mind when approaching my own venture as a mother-in-law. Now, to be perfectly fair, the mother (in law) may have known her son's bride so well that she was CERTAIN it would be accepted happily. I just don't think it's a good idea for others to copy without thinking.