My Mum is coming!

Tonight I am collecting my Mum from the Airport. She's coming to visit for the first time in the five years I've lived in Sydney, and I am looking forward to showing her some of my favourite places and places she might like. Some people think it's a little "not normal" that I have lived here all these years and my Mum has never been to visit. Perhaps it is. I don't pretend to know what normal is anymore. She didn't visit when I lived in Townsville for three years either. But, there is no particular reason for this. As in, there is nothing particularly wrong with my relationship with my Mum, that I am aware of. She's not as involved in my life as some people's parents, and I don't rely as much on the idea of parents for advice and support as some (based on my observations of flatmates, who will call their Dads in particular to discuss all sorts of things) and that is just the way things are.

But as to visiting, I think the reality is that when you live in a share house and don't have your own place, that is some deterrent to family coming to visit. They might not feel so comfortable trying to stay out of the way of your flatmates in the bathroom and so on. And in the case of my older sister, brother-in-law and their two kids coming to stay it is almost physically impossible, because renting spare rooms in Sydney is something most people just can't do (though I'd love to show my nieces Sydney, and would be happy for them to sleep anywhere at all - but then again, flatmates might not be).

I also think the reality is that when you are not the child with the grandchildren, well, you're slightly less of an attraction. It's just easier for me to be the person who does the visiting. My Mum also grew up way out in the country at a place called Rye Park, and then lived in country towns, and only recently moved to Brisbane. She doesn't like navigating cities a great deal. And until a few years ago she'd never been in an aeroplane, and had, and still has, her apprehensions about that.

When my younger sister got married and moved to Darwin, I went to Brisbane, collected my Mum, and we flew on to Darwin for a visit, and did a little mastery of the flying fears along on the way (and I had the Xanax at the ready!). So, now she's up to flying solo, and even managed to check-in online and print out her boarding pass ahead of time in Brisbane (I booked the ticket online, because my Mum just doesn't believe in credit cards) and she's coming! Generally I get seasoned fliers and city-accustomed folk, who arrive on Virgin flights, to go upstairs to departures and wait outside up there, because you're allowed to pull up for a couple of minutes up there, but not so at arrivals (at least you couldn't last time I tried), but I think this time I am just going to pay the exorbitant airport parking fee and be there waiting for the flight. There’s only so much stress you can put a person through!

So, I have made a cake, cleaned my room, vacuumed (my flatmate very kindly did the bathroom this afternoon), shopped and put things in the fridge so it looks like I am "eating properly" :), fished around for one of the better looking towels in the cupboard and now I am all ready! It can be a little intense being one-on-one with just your Mum for days, so hopefully we cope and have a good time!