Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Teenage Bear went on a vacation to New England. In the far off land of Cape Cod, they crossed many bridges and found an enlightened sandy forest surrounded by water. This was paradise. Though the coast could be rocky under their paws, the water was surprisingly warm and clear. They enjoyed frolicking in the gentle waves, the salty water misting their fur. They struggled a bit with their beach tent, and no one was there to help them- perhaps they should not have brought a Met towel and Met blanket, and worn a Giants cap, but we never said the Bear family was smart…..But tent aside, their time in this village by the sea was magical……
Papa Bear and Teenage Bear enjoyed fish- not the sport of catching them, but the task of eating them. They found little food huts and partook of clams and lobsters and quahogs- many of them caught that morning. Mama Bear- she’s a little bit of a pain though. Mama Bear doesn’t really like seafood- she’s OK with a bite of lobster roll, or a few spoons of calm chowder- but she doesn’t like it enough to base a whole meal out of it. So Mama Bear ate a lot of salad. She didn’t complain, because just as seafood was fresh- the fruits and vegetables were some of the best she had ever got her paws on- ( she even briefly thought about what it would be like to live close to the land, but then she realized how far Sephora was and that idea went out the window)
Mama Bear felt a little weird, being in this land that loved the bounty of the sea, yet not really wanting to partake. Is it bad to not like seafood? She prided herself on being an individual, and not succumbing to pier pressure- but she couldn’t help but think she was the odd person out. And true- she has tried seafood in the past- and she loved food- but to her, lobsters were just “eh”, salmon was bland, and oysters were okay if they were fried.
And as Mama Bear’s often do- she felt bad when her family didn’t choose a seafood restaurant out of deference to her. Mama Bear felt guilty if her family wasn’t getting maximum enjoyment out of every moment- she unrealistically wanted them to be happy always. Mama Bear often put herself last.
Mama Bear knows she has to get over feeling guilty about enjoying herself, or putting herself first. This is something Mama Bear needs to work on.
And that’s how we end our tale today: it’s Ok for Mama Bear to put herself first- she just needs to figure out how to do it. And Mama Bear is probably going to have a list about this in the near future.
Waking up on the Wrong Side of 50 
It’s hard to practice self-care and pursuit of personal enjoyment in a society that constantly shames women no matter what they do or don’t do. I hope Mama Bear can find a way!
LikeLiked by 4 people
She can, She should, She will
Rinse off in the water and Repeat
Cute story!
LikeLiked by 3 people
😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hardest thing ever, as a mom, to put yourself in front of others. Mine are all grown and on their own, I am 58 and still struggle with “me” as a concept.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I know!
LikeLike
When my sister and I travel, it’s often to a beach — it’s where we’d love to retire. My sister is super-allergic to anything that swims – she can even have a reaction if her chicken breast is cooked on the same grill. I sometimes feel badly about wanting seafood and she not being able to eat it, but she always defers to my seafood restaurant request. She does not want me to be denied even when she cannot partake. We practice self-love and sister-love as much as humanly possible.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s a great sister relationship!
LikeLiked by 1 person
we love to travel together, not so much with others!! We’ve always been close, and seem to grow closer as we age. She’s an amazing woman.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are very lucky!
LikeLiked by 1 person
defnitely
LikeLiked by 1 person
I admire different mamma bears 🐻
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So difficult for us mums to put ourselves first, it just seems to go against the grain. It is something we have to learn to do -just occasionally-especially when our children fly the nest. I don’t like seafood either, but I love the sound of calm chowder…I could do with some of that!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The clam chowder in cape Cod was amazing….and I don’t like fish….but its cream and corn and yummy!
LikeLike
I don’t even have children of my own, but I understand the concept of having a hard time putting yourself first. Unfortunately, my mom is also this way so trying to choose anything between the two of us is difficult. 😉 I hope you were able to put some of the guilt aside and enjoy yourself on your vacation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A little! 😀
LikeLike
Been there with the beach tent. It took my husband and his friend so long we were done at the beach. Now taking it apart. I think I blocked that out because I don’t think we left it on the beach but don’t remember the take down. Nothing wrong with having different tastes for food.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s ridiculous the way they set up instructions….
LikeLike
Such a great post! Very very funny; this is my fav thing I’ve read today. And the comments are good too 😊. It IS hard to put ourselves first… And yet, so much of everything revolves around us. Finding the balance must be the answer; & our family should be trying to do that too, not just taking all the time. Papa Bear is responsible too (cos we all know Teenagers are pretty self-obsessed for a while). Well done, fab writing 😃 G
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! Though in my house, sometimes teen-age bear is more adult…….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mama Bear needs a mani/pedi and some cheesecake.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh….mama bear had some awesome desserts……
LikeLike
Shweeeet!
LikeLiked by 1 person