The Sampler – Role Reversal

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5 Minutes for Mom brings you exclusive samplings from the best mom blogs in our weekly column, The Sampler, hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom contributing editor Shera, from A Frog In My Soup.

This week we are featuring Vicki Diesing of Not So SAHM! In addition to running her own home-based business, she is also the homeschooling SAHM of two daughters. She loves blogging and you are sure to find a variety of topics covered on her blog!

Role Reversal

As a woman I am fairly good about noticing things. The emergence of spring; the new freckles on my daughters; the five new miniscule wrinkles that have added themselves to the legions around my eyes. I kind of take pride in the fact that I’m pretty observant. And my husband usually relies on me to notice things about people when we’re out and about.

My powers of observation have failed me though. At the worst time. In the worst way. Recently I neglected to notice that something had change about my husband. This is something I usually get to chide him about. Like the time I got my third piercing in my left ear. And he didn’t notice. I had to tell him after days and days of waiting for him to say something, constantly pulling my hair behind my ears and cocking my head like I’m hard of hearing. Like the times (plural) I get my hair done. I have to ask him if he notices anything different about me while waving my locks around as if auditioning for a shampoo commercial. Like the time I painted the guest bedroom green…

Yesterday morning however, I was the culprit.

March is sometimes known as Mustache March in this household (and thousands of others if you’re in his profession). This March was no exception. So, from the beginning days of this month up until yesterday morning my husband was growing a mustache. Y’all, I did notice the caterpillar growing above his lip. Believe me, it’s totally different kissing someone with hair there than without. What I failed to notice was when he shaved it off.

And the scene played like it always does…except the roles were reversed.

Husband: “Bye honey.” (standing at bed and looking expectantly).

Me: (yawn). “Bye, bye.” (back to reading Bible.)
Husband: (starting to cock head and rotate at odd angles) “Notice anything?”

Me: (studying intently his hair as I had just cut it half an hour before) “It all looks even to me. Did I miss a spot? Is one side faded higher than the other?” (now feeling indignant that he can’t just be happy he gets free haircuts at 0 dark-thirty in the morning).

Husband: (jutting face closer to mine) “Not the hair.” (Now he’s stretching his upper lip long).

Me: “Did you cut your nose hair? Why am I supposed to notice that?” (I’m all out of ideas as to why he’s still standing here playing the guessing game with me when it’s too early to be doing anything really).

Husband: “It’s GONE! I shaved it off!” (Slightly smiling as though he now realizes he’s got fodder for teasing me for years to come.)

Me: “Oops.” (Sheepish grin)

To my defense: it was early in the morning; it was dark in the room; I’ve had close to 15 years of seeing him without a mustache and only two dozen days of him with one. So somehow I missed the absence of lip hair. However little this compares to the constant lack of observation on the male side of this household I will not live this one down.

I’ve realized that I am not as observant as I once thought. I still claim to be the more observant one in the family though. Just don’t expect me to notice little things. Like facial hair. And I will now give Husband some leeway when he doesn’t immediately proclaim the changes he notices in whatever it is in the world that I’ve changed about me or my surroundings…

~ Written by Vicki Diesing of Not so SAHM

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This column is Hosted by Shera. She can be found at A Frog In My Soup