Toughen Up Buttercup!

I offer this mostly in jest but with a bit of personal truth also.

Over the years raising three daughters with my dear wife, she was always the one with superhuman intuition. She knew what our daughters were thinking or plotting before they did and would often be able to intercept their actions. If she did not stop them, she, for sure, knew their tall tales afterwards were just that, tall tales. She would see right through them. Me, on the other hand, would be suckered into their stories, excuses, pleadings like a sucker fish. They quickly learned to call daddy with their excuses, not mom, hoping they could get off the phone with me before their mom's intuition knew that I was on the phone getting their excuse. Having hung up the phone, my dear wife would ask about the call. I would proudly relate how a daughter had called with a problem and how I had successfully handled it. She would then patiently, oh so patiently and with great sadness, look at me and tell me I had just been suckered, yet once AGAIN. Yes, that was her louder voice. So, after over 57 years with her and her passing last August, 2025, I did not give this any thought in my days after trying to survive my grief. Fast forward to pre-Christmas, 2025 when one of my daughters called wanting to know the authors of the various book series that I had read. Her story was that she had a colleague teacher at her school, recently joining their staff, who was looking for new book series to consider for his wife for Christmas. Yes ladies, that is the hook being set in my big mouth. Hook, line and sinker in place I proudly provided my extensive list with comments even to really impress her. And so, come Christmas, I am sure you ladies for sure know the rest of the story. Yes, men, the books were for me. There was no new teacher colleague.

The story just points out that what I lost with the loss of my dear wife was beyond what I ever considered. I lost my protection from my daughters and their well fabricated stories. I lost that magical intuition possessed only by women, and mothers for sure. I am sure as this story unfolded, my dear wife was looking down and once again saying, "Toughen up buttercup, before they eat you alive" :)