Blargh. Why is it that when your mother says something to you, it is fraught with so many layers of meaning, it's completely insane? For instance, on Sunday, Lil' Puddin' Tater and I went over to Mammy & Papa's house to pick up some things Mammy brought from cleaning out her mother's garage. It was lovely outside not cold by any stretch of the imagination, and I frankly didn't feel like arguing the merits of putting a coat on with LPT. So she wore two t-shirts and long capri pants. And shoes. And she was completely comfortable. But my mother, as soon as LPT gets out of the car, exclaims, horrified: "Where is your coat?" then follows that up with a fleeting glance in my direction. Now, on the surface, this is nothing. It is an adult asking a simple question to a child. However, when you peel back that simple, vanilla veneer (did I just mix metaphors?) you see the jumbled mess of emotions contained in those four little words: How could your mother let you go out in this weather and get cold? She knows you have breathing problems, and you can't convince me that the cold is harmless. And you! You're her mother, and you should make her put on a coat if it's chilly outside! I know that I get cold when it's like this, I cannot imagine how she must feel! I never let you go outside without a coat when you were little. Why don't you care more? You are not a good mother, and I would do so much better.

Now, not a bit of this is actually said, possibly not even thought outright. And perhaps I'm just making it all up, just reading too deeply. And my mother would say I was completely insane if she ever read this. And perhaps this isn't a good example. But there is something to the hidden nuances present between daughters and mothers. A tone of voice, a look, even posture all convey the slightest changes in disposition toward another person, and I think that with mothers and daughters, it's especially true.

Can you tell who I'm dealing with today? :)