Serial helpers

Three of my sisters from the Twin Cities descended upon me and my family this weekend.

Friday, I did a kind of systems check of my feelings because I was feeling anxious. I thought, “Why do I feel this way? I haven’t done anything wrong (that I knew of).”

It was because of judgments and comments about my life that I knew I was going to get. For instance one sister helpfully pointed out to me that I had too many boxes of cereal on top of the refrigerator. I do. I just want to make sure my kids have cereal in the morning, but I noticed I had three boxes alone of frosted mini wheats. Why oh why didn’t I do a cereal check before they came?

A little later another sister helpfully told me I had too many cereal boxes on top of my refrigerator. She even arranged them in a more orderly manner.

I guess I get this kind of helpful stuff from my sisters because I’m the youngest. They probably think they are de-stressing my life, while I read it as a judgment.

Usually the cereal situation isn’t a matter of quantity, but of quality. One sister in particular doesn’t like it if there is too much of a sugar content. She’s right of course.

I don’t think she saw the Reese’s Puffs among all the Cheerios and mini wheats, so I got away with it — this time.