Another reason I love my mom
I just adore my mother, who holds permanent grudges against anyone who's ever done me wrong and who thinks I'm the bees' knees, whether it's merited or not. And it's the stuff in this latter bucket that sometimes just cracks me up.
We were on the phone yesterday, trying to firm up plans for a mother/daughter trip to NYC in a couple of weeks, and as we were hanging up, our conversation went like this:
Mom: Oh, hey, you know how your dad's on the board of ABC Organization?
TW: Oh, yeah, I saw that they're looking for a new executive director. I meant to ask; what's up with that?
M: Oh, well, the old person is stepping down -- it's a planned thing -- but I think you should go for the job.
TW: What? Mom, it's an executive director job, and I have no experience in that field.
M: Well, you're at least as smart and capable as this person who's leaving, and anyone else they'd bring in, so I think you should just throw your hat in the ring.
TW: Mom, ignoring the fact that it reeks of nepotism...
M: Well, I talked to your dad about it, actually, and he thought maybe you didn't have enough fundraising experience for the job.
TW: Mom, I have NO fundraising experience. At all.
M: Oh, yeah, I guess not. But you're so smart, and you have such a good work ethic, and really, you'd be at least as good as this person who's leaving.
TW: Mom. NO fundraising experience.
M: Oh, well. Okay. I just thought I'd mention it. I guess not, huh?
I don't think that my mom's just blowing smoke here; I think that she really believes that I can do anything, and that it doesn't matter if I have actual experience; I'm automatically qualified for pretty much any position, simply because I'm smart and have a good work ethic. It's the same as her insistence, even today, that none of her kids ever went through an awkward stage: totally delusional, but coming from such a lovely, sincere place that we just have to roll with it a little and then try to bring her back to reality with photographic evidence of us at ages 9-15. Or, in this case, firm insistence that, although we are lovely people with qualities that make us attractive candidates generally, we do not have the skills or experience to perform every job well.
But I like that my mom chooses to believe otherwise, because her kids can do anything, dammit.
We were on the phone yesterday, trying to firm up plans for a mother/daughter trip to NYC in a couple of weeks, and as we were hanging up, our conversation went like this:
Mom: Oh, hey, you know how your dad's on the board of ABC Organization?
TW: Oh, yeah, I saw that they're looking for a new executive director. I meant to ask; what's up with that?
M: Oh, well, the old person is stepping down -- it's a planned thing -- but I think you should go for the job.
TW: What? Mom, it's an executive director job, and I have no experience in that field.
M: Well, you're at least as smart and capable as this person who's leaving, and anyone else they'd bring in, so I think you should just throw your hat in the ring.
TW: Mom, ignoring the fact that it reeks of nepotism...
M: Well, I talked to your dad about it, actually, and he thought maybe you didn't have enough fundraising experience for the job.
TW: Mom, I have NO fundraising experience. At all.
M: Oh, yeah, I guess not. But you're so smart, and you have such a good work ethic, and really, you'd be at least as good as this person who's leaving.
TW: Mom. NO fundraising experience.
M: Oh, well. Okay. I just thought I'd mention it. I guess not, huh?
I don't think that my mom's just blowing smoke here; I think that she really believes that I can do anything, and that it doesn't matter if I have actual experience; I'm automatically qualified for pretty much any position, simply because I'm smart and have a good work ethic. It's the same as her insistence, even today, that none of her kids ever went through an awkward stage: totally delusional, but coming from such a lovely, sincere place that we just have to roll with it a little and then try to bring her back to reality with photographic evidence of us at ages 9-15. Or, in this case, firm insistence that, although we are lovely people with qualities that make us attractive candidates generally, we do not have the skills or experience to perform every job well.
But I like that my mom chooses to believe otherwise, because her kids can do anything, dammit.
2 Comments:
Gotta love parents for that. When I told my dad that my old boss left the Director position, he told me I should go for it, nevermind the fact that I only have 6 months experience with major gift fundraising, or that my old boss came into the job after 20 years experience. Nope, he thought I'd be a shoe in.
By
mickeyg, at 8:35 PM
I didn't realize that your mom knows my mom; since they both have such a firm grasp on the employment opportunties that available to us!
My mom sees any job in any industry and says "why don't you apply for that"...my typical responce is "Mom, the job description/requirements states you need 10 years of experience, of which I have ZERO!"
By
seth, at 8:37 AM
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