Today I was chatting on the phone with a friend. We were discussing whether or not she was whiny. She has experienced some turbulence in her life recently and has been trying to share her feelings without sounding whiny. Is it possible to complain, without whining? I have been contemplating this. I complain about my children, but I am thankful to have them. I whine to any one that will listen about my latest upset. What is the difference? Why do I whine? The other night I had a tender moment that I have considered sharing. My 3 year old niece stayed with us for about 10 days. She was excellent! I did not realize that 3 years old could listen and do as they are told until she was here. Anyhow, every night we did our "bedtime routine" and got everyone bathed and dressed for bed. I was gathering the wet towels and lotion to put away, when one by one each of the kids gave me a kiss on the cheek. As I walked away, I could feel the wetness that they had left behind. Now, normally I would have some snide comment about slobbery slime or something like that. As I felt that wetness, I was suddenly glad that I was a mom and glad that someone wanted to kiss me goodnight. Strange I know, given all the whining I do, but I really am glad to be a mom. Over the last year, I have noticed my maternal instincts kicking in (yes I realize that my oldest will be seven years soon, better late than never right?) and I have felt closer to not only my children but other children as well. I love it when my friends kids are happy to see me. It makes me feel so good.
Why when I have all these wonderful experiences do I whine about life? Because it is what I do. I whine, I complain, I bitch, I moan. It is not my favorite part of my personality. In fact, it is probably one of my worst traits.
I want to know, who likes to whine? What do you have to complain about? What is really bugging you today? Today, I hate doing dishes. Not having a dishwasher is really grating on my nerves. I am complaining because I can. What about you?