I can't stop laughing at her.
This year the basketball game that the school was holding Parents' Night was scheduled but got canceled due to weather. (You can read about the weird Parents' Night for volleyball here.) I asked Daughter if The Ex was planning on coming since we're supposed to call her if an event gets canceled per the court order. Daughter said she had never told The Ex about it. (I giggled a little inside, and then felt kind of bad for it.)
The game happened to get rescheduled on the same day as Husband's birthday. We got to the school early; I told Baby Girl that if she saw the athletic director, she ought to tell him that it was Husband's birthday. (School City is so small that everyone is on a first-name basis. Baby Girl knows who the AD is because he heads up summer rec, which she attended for about 6-7 years; she even knows some of Daughter's teachers for the same reason, even though she goes to a different school.)
The JV game starts and just before halftime, I see Ned and The Ex walk in. (Sigh.) They sit directly behind the varsity team. I felt like Ned was staring at me over The Ex's head, which is creepy because he is creepy. The varsity team went to the locker room to start changing; Ned and The Ex stand up, move down about 2 rows on the bleachers, and The Ex sits on the opposite side of Ned for reasons I don't understand.
Before the varsity game started, Daughter went over to the AD and asked if he had her mom's name written down. He said no, he just had Husband and me. Daughter said that her mom was there so she asked him to add The Ex's name as well. Daughter knew good and well that Ned was present; she intentionally did not ask for his name to be added because she doesn't like him and doesn't consider him to be her parent.
The AD started announcing the players and their parents. When he got to Daughter, he announced it exactly as he had at the volleyball Parents' Night - Daughter's first & last name; parents Husband, me, and The Ex. He immediately added, "And happy birthday to [Husband]!" Husband sighed, I laughed. We got out on the court, The Ex followed....again, with Ned....even though nobody said his name...
Husband and I gave Daughter a hug, I told her how well she had played in the JV game. Husband accused Daughter of telling the AD to wish him a happy birthday; she said no, she didn't; I admitted I had told Baby Girl to tell him about it. We were all having a wonderful time.
Then Daughter asked The Ex, "Are you staying for my next game?" The Ex said, "No, we have to get home." (Um....okay.) And sure enough, as all the parents were taking their seats so that they could support their daughter's team, The Ex and Ned walked out of the gym.
The other parents we sit with during most games were completely shocked. They couldn't believe that The Ex and Ned had literally driven almost 2 hours, watched half of a basketball game, got a flower, and left. The other parents kept asking, "What the hell was the point of her even coming?!" I said it was because The Ex wants everyone to look at her and pay attention to her; she wasn't here for Daughter, she was here for herself. One dad was visibly angry; he said he had been pretty good at sports when he was in high school yet his parents hardly came to his games. He then said to Husband and I, "You guys are always here. Always. You're always supporting her. I wish that I had parents like you when I was her age. You are her real parents, you're the ones who are there for her, and that's all that matters."
And then came my favorite moment of the night. Baby Girl had been in the gym for the Parents' Night announcement and after we sat down, she said, "Momma, when you guys were walking down there and [the AD] wished Dad a happy birthday, [The Ex] turned around and rolled her eyes."
......they have been divorced for over THIRTEEN YEARS, and she's irritated by the simple act of someone wishing Husband a happy birthday.
I can't stop laughing. Seriously, move on with your life. You're about to change your name for the third time. (Technically fifth, if we count the times she went back to her maiden name after her divorces.) Husband shouldn't even have an effect on you at this point. It's just pitiful.
And as I'm typing this, I can only imagine the anger that will be seething inside of her when she realizes Husband and I were invited to the baby shower.....
The game happened to get rescheduled on the same day as Husband's birthday. We got to the school early; I told Baby Girl that if she saw the athletic director, she ought to tell him that it was Husband's birthday. (School City is so small that everyone is on a first-name basis. Baby Girl knows who the AD is because he heads up summer rec, which she attended for about 6-7 years; she even knows some of Daughter's teachers for the same reason, even though she goes to a different school.)
The JV game starts and just before halftime, I see Ned and The Ex walk in. (Sigh.) They sit directly behind the varsity team. I felt like Ned was staring at me over The Ex's head, which is creepy because he is creepy. The varsity team went to the locker room to start changing; Ned and The Ex stand up, move down about 2 rows on the bleachers, and The Ex sits on the opposite side of Ned for reasons I don't understand.
Before the varsity game started, Daughter went over to the AD and asked if he had her mom's name written down. He said no, he just had Husband and me. Daughter said that her mom was there so she asked him to add The Ex's name as well. Daughter knew good and well that Ned was present; she intentionally did not ask for his name to be added because she doesn't like him and doesn't consider him to be her parent.
The AD started announcing the players and their parents. When he got to Daughter, he announced it exactly as he had at the volleyball Parents' Night - Daughter's first & last name; parents Husband, me, and The Ex. He immediately added, "And happy birthday to [Husband]!" Husband sighed, I laughed. We got out on the court, The Ex followed....again, with Ned....even though nobody said his name...
Husband and I gave Daughter a hug, I told her how well she had played in the JV game. Husband accused Daughter of telling the AD to wish him a happy birthday; she said no, she didn't; I admitted I had told Baby Girl to tell him about it. We were all having a wonderful time.
Then Daughter asked The Ex, "Are you staying for my next game?" The Ex said, "No, we have to get home." (Um....okay.) And sure enough, as all the parents were taking their seats so that they could support their daughter's team, The Ex and Ned walked out of the gym.
The other parents we sit with during most games were completely shocked. They couldn't believe that The Ex and Ned had literally driven almost 2 hours, watched half of a basketball game, got a flower, and left. The other parents kept asking, "What the hell was the point of her even coming?!" I said it was because The Ex wants everyone to look at her and pay attention to her; she wasn't here for Daughter, she was here for herself. One dad was visibly angry; he said he had been pretty good at sports when he was in high school yet his parents hardly came to his games. He then said to Husband and I, "You guys are always here. Always. You're always supporting her. I wish that I had parents like you when I was her age. You are her real parents, you're the ones who are there for her, and that's all that matters."
And then came my favorite moment of the night. Baby Girl had been in the gym for the Parents' Night announcement and after we sat down, she said, "Momma, when you guys were walking down there and [the AD] wished Dad a happy birthday, [The Ex] turned around and rolled her eyes."
......they have been divorced for over THIRTEEN YEARS, and she's irritated by the simple act of someone wishing Husband a happy birthday.
I can't stop laughing. Seriously, move on with your life. You're about to change your name for the third time. (Technically fifth, if we count the times she went back to her maiden name after her divorces.) Husband shouldn't even have an effect on you at this point. It's just pitiful.
And as I'm typing this, I can only imagine the anger that will be seething inside of her when she realizes Husband and I were invited to the baby shower.....
That's awesome, I can't wait to see the baby shower post.
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