My family background

Vickie

48 years old and married for over 22 years. My husband and I met in college. We married when we were 25 and had our oldest right as we were turning 30. We built our first house prior to kids and then built our current (second) house when the kids were 3, 7, 11.

My husband is pretty easy going. And would do anything for me. I would just have to tell him first and then explain how to do it. (Wife humor. The kind that is funny and also totally true).

Husband played competitive (league) tennis from age 7 until his early 40's. And he was on swim teams all during his school years - very much a family thing - his three older brothers were also competitive swimmers. Now he mostly does things with the kids - plays tennis, runs, bikes, swims laps all summer, etc.

For a while I could say that he still fit into his college clothes - but I think they have all hit the rag bin - so now I don't know if I could say that any more. He is very broad shouldered and athletic looking with a full head of very gray hair. None of the kids remember him with dark hair. He found the first gray one on our honeymoon. That probably wasn't a coincidence.

After growing up with all brothers (FYI my husband is the only one married and also the only one with children) - he finds life with women to be a bit of a puzzle. And since the oldest is away at college most of the time, my husband lives with 3 women 365 days a year. When the oldest gets ready to leave after a visit - my husband is often heard to say - you are leaving me with all of them. . .

Husband does think that he would be more well rounded if he had grown up with sisters. It certainly couldn't have hurt. We spend a lot of time explaining things to him. And shaking our heads when he tells one of us (in all seriousness) that our bedhead looks great.

My husband has always been in sales. I worked full time prior to kids in administration for an insurance company. Supposedly, I am now a "stay at home mom" - which always cracks me up - if I am a stay at home mom - how come I am always in my car??? We have three very busy kids ages 19 (son, away at college) - 15 (middle daughter, high school) - 11 (youngest daughter, elementary school). There is so much information in my posts about all of them - that I won't repeat it here. I always refer to them as the 'oldest', the 'middle child' and the 'youngest'. If you want to read a LOT about them - query on those words and you will find them.

My mom lives two blocks from us. Her husband has MAJOR health problems. I am 48, my mom is 68 and he is 88. Does that explain it right there? I am her support system - in coping with him. And I am their only family, that lives here. He has three living (his youngest daughter died from breast cancer - liver, lungs, bones - many years ago) children who all live out west.

I am an oldest child married to a youngest child.

I have one brother (6 years younger) who is now a single parent of 2 teenage children. He is one of those men who SEES most things. And he is able to do most anything. He bakes, cooks, has a wide variety of skills. He is in upper management with a large company. His family vacations are all about athletics - canoeing, camping, sailing, climbing. He is a (full) marathon runner. He happens to eat Macro (which is how I eat).

The wife thing - he did NOT see - He came home from work one day to find apartment ads on the kitchen table. That is when he discovered he was a single dad. She left 2 kids and several dogs and the house and him. I think in that order. She just walked away. She pays extremely generous support for the dogs and the kids. She is still in the same town. She will do some things - like stay at the house with the kids when he needs to be out of town. And she will provide transportation and sometimes medical care. But she has removed herself from the daily/constant mom things - homework, shopping, cleaning, teacher conferences, etc. I mention this so that you will understand when I talk about my niece and nephew.

My brother and his Ex married the week that she graduated from college (he is a year older, and interestingly they went to two different colleges in two different towns, so there was a total of 6 years that they had distance after high school). She is someone that needed to stay single until she was 25 and then not have kids until she was over 30. (A rule of thumb that I think all women would be better off following.) She would have then known what she wanted. And, she has a weight problem. Were you picturing something different? She is non-athletic and eats all restaurant food. AND she loves to go on vacation (just not athletic). She has always liked change - moving cities, houses, jobs, etc.