A Visit from the Grandparents...

No baking with Mommy when Granny gets here "Listen, up, puddies," I told the babies this morning. "Mommy has something important to say. Granny, Grandpa, and Auntie Sinead are coming from far, far away...and Mommy wants you to be on your very best behavior. Okay?" Then I gave them a treat, and promised them curried shrimp if they'd try not to embarrass me too much. Like keeping my deck free of fall leaves, though, I think it's a losing battle. Having raised eight children themselves, my in-laws are pretty laid back. The only glitch is they still don't quite get it that the angelic puffs of fluff they see roaming the house freely are my children. And like most parents, my husband and I can sometimes spoil the babies. Still, we did bestow the utmost honor on our female relatives: we named the cats after them...Angela after my mother-in-law and Sinead after my sister-in-law. That's why I must insist my darling baby girls keep a low profile when the visitors come. Granny and Grandpa are coming from far, far away Though they never actually said anything, on their last visit, I did get the feeling my guests got rattled at me shouting "Angela, get off the table," and "Sinead, stop drinking out of the toilet," day and night. On the other hand, after the initial shock, my father-in-law became quite adept at reading the paper with Angela sitting in the middle of it. What's more, he only roared with fright once when he woke up in the middle of the night to find McDuff sitting on his stomach staring at him. No helping Mommy set the table when Grandpa's here... Still, when I observe how rude and sassy some children can act toward their parents these days-never mind guests-I'd say my precious ones' little peculiarities are mere trifles. I'll just have to keep reminding Angela not to bring her namesake's panty hose into the sitting room after dinner. And I'll have to insist that, under no circumstances, are any of my children to sit in the plates before we eat on Thanksgiving Day. That's Auntie Sinead's plate, McDuff! Your cat ever embarrassed you in front of company? Care to share? Email me at stories@petside.com