I saw a blurb in the news yesterday about divorces on the rise even as people don't have an escape route because most of us are supposed to be self-isolating. It went on about people that might get along when they just had to spend an hour in the morning and a couple hours at night together are now spending all their time together is too much for some. It can't help to live in a densely populated place like New York and your residence is only a tiny apartment and you can hear the neighbors carrying on at all hours of the day and night.
I have to say, we have been doing ok. It was a bit of an adjustment to have Wife here daily, we all love her but for the last four years we have only been with her on the weekends. One can forget how demanding a woman can be, man! For example, when it is just us, Javalina and I will hang out quietly in our own spaces entertaining ourselves. Like I have said, I love watching videos, whether to learn some factoid about World War II or to see the latest memes, I keep myself up to date and informed. Wife comes in and turns the TV on even if she doesn't watch it, in the kitchen, about 6 feet away from my head, and then she'll turn on her laptop to do work, and I am supposed to put on headphones because my stuff is boring, to her. We have had a little blow-up or two over this, but I am fine with the headphones, I wear them most of my shift at work, so I can be flexible.
The main one we argue about is our parenting style. I am kind of hands off and rely on the boys doing the right thing because it is what we expect of them. If they have homework, figure it out and do it before it is due. We are here to help, but not to babysit. Wife, on the other hand, can wake up yelling at Javalina "I got an email from your teacher, do this or that, why wait when you could be doing it now." It gets on my nerves because I want to be left alone and she wants me to dance with her in a "come on, let's yell at our son (either one), for this or for that." Ehh, maybe I am just lazy, but I don't really care to do that, Javalina has been getting by fine with my way the last four years. I think she has been relaxing more as she realizes that school is basically over, with the kids home, it is hard to push that classroom knowledge in this time.
I really believe living in our big house helps. Boy and Sweetie have their bedroom and I have told him the empty room upstairs is for his use, which is where he put all his 3D printers and a table to use as a desk. So, him and Sweetie have space whether they want to do projects (she sews, he does all sorts of nerdy shit, leatherwork anyone?) or like yesterday, she was doing an online test in their bedroom on her desk and Boy was having a two hour interview for a job in his hobby room. Javalina has a huge bedroom with a giant TV to play his video games and initially he hardly came out, I think he was trying to quarantine even from us. Now, he has started coming down and watching movies or shows here and there with us. I spend most of my days on the kitchen table on my laptop or in the guest bedroom downstairs, sometimes opting to even sleep in there, just to change it up. Wife gets up later than me and she'll come do her work on the table next to me, but she prefers to watch crappy TV and most of the time she will go do that in our bedroom upstairs or in the TV room by the pool table in the front of the house. Lately, we have all been getting together in the guest room downstairs, which is weird because that is probably the smallest TV in the house, but she will sit on the rocking chair, I will lay on the bed, and Javalina gets comfy on the loveseat. Space soothes the savage beasts.
Shoot, up until yesterday, no one had used the projector in the living room, it was weird to see Boy and Sweetie seated there, but I guess it is a change of scenery for them. I was also thinking yesterday of removing all the crap from the pool table and getting into it, maybe play some with the family, again another room that has hardly been used. I have gotten use of our balcony, I like going out there when the weather is cool or in the evening to talk to my mom, the phone reception is always better outside. Oh, and yesterday I thought Wife was napping, I sat at the table for about half an hour before I realized she was sitting outside by the pool, the weather was about perfect, maybe 75 and the sun was below the treeline, we both sat with our laptops on the table outside for about an hour, it was nice. It is quite nice having options, is all I am saying.
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