on the other hand

Sometimes -- often, actually -- daddy-brains can teach mommy brains a thing or two.

Case in point: before I left for the hospital, I stuffed a huge manila envelope full of things for my husband to take care of. Swim practice schedules, school conferences, lunch menu ideas, you name it. One of the items was a letter my 7-year-old got from a fellow first-grader about a "sticker club." You've probably gotten one of these: a plea to send a pack of stickers to the first name on the list, and letters to six other names. And the notation: "If you can't do this, please call and let us know, as it would be unfair to all the other little munchkins who are relying on you..." (or words to that same guilt-rendering effect!)

Looking back, of course it was compulsive of me even to have read the letter in the days before I was leaving for brain surgery, and even more so to expect my husband to give it a second thought as he was wrestling with our hyper-intense kids. (He just laughed and "misplaced" it.) Ok, and maybe it was also compulsive of me to call today with apologies for being late and flaking out. The funny thing was that when I called the mom who'd sent me the letter, she burst out laughing and said that if we had complied, we would have been the only ones. "Bless your heart," she said. "All the other moms just called and said, Sorry! No time!"

So maybe I'm saying daddy-brains have a thing or two to teach ME in particular. I know I'm more compulsive than most. Just thought this was a worthwhile counterpoint to the used-brains joke....