FREEDOM – BUT DO I WANT IT?

My captivity started with my own foolish words last Thursday. “Would you like me to pick the girls up from school?” “If you want” shortly followed by a text “Wd u be able to have girls over nite? Their uniforms were clean on 2day so are ok for 2mo! X” Damn, I walked right into that one!

My poor granddaughter suffers migraine and was in the throws of a bad one. I should be sympathetic, but I’m way, way too selfish for that. Ask me for sympathy when it doesn’t affect my well-being, sleep routine or bank balance. But hey, I could manage one night of sacrifice couldn’t I? Wrong - make that three nights of sacrifice!

And it started off so well. We hadn’t seen them for a few days and to start with they were full of laughter and cuddles, which rapidly turned into scowls and grumpiness (that was me) culminating in a “I don’t like being in this house” “why? don’t you like us” “I like granddad and my sister, but I don’t like you”.

That’s probably because I don’t agree that they should have Smarties, chocolate biscuits and crisps for breakfast. I also maintain that they shouldn’t be allowed to dictate which aisles we go up in the supermarket and have their pick of any toy, sweet, DVD, machine gun, base ball bat or hand grenade that takes their fancy. I am a firm believer in spare the rod and you spoil the child. These two childs are, for sure, well beyond ruined.

On the other hand granddad thinks they’re wonderful. He beams “look at them, isn’t it sweet the way they trash the living room?” “look, they’ve tipped their food all over the floor again, isn’t that cute”.

But look at them out of the window full of sunshine and laughter riding their bikes up the drive, hear the poor mite with the poorly chest coughing herself to sleep, see the little darlings asleep looking like angels and all the frustrations of the day melt away.

Granddad is right, they are a gift from God, we are truly blest and this afternoon has been so quiet I could cry. In the words of Kris Kristofferson “freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose”. Thank goodness I don’t really want freedom.