My mother used to make every time I came home miserable because she would always tell me how horrible my hair looked. She finally convinced me that I needed to stop using my friends to do my perm and color. She said that if I spent any money at all on myself I needed to make sure it was on my hair or good shoes.

I have naturally straight hair. My mother hates straight hair. I can’t help what I was given but just to make our visits nicer I usually curl my hair when I go home.

That is not good enough though. She goes on and on about how pretty my hair was in high school. Gads that was like 30 years ago.

Well I thought I had not gotten this irritating tendency from my mother. I thought I was more like my father who rarely says anything unless it is something good to say.

Then yesterday I was at my boyfriend’s house and I saw one of the cats I had let him have from my brood. The cat’s hair was always shiny and beautiful when I took care of him. He had ebony black hair and he was a stunner.

At my boyfriend’s house his hair has turned dull and his back fur is full of mats. When I tried to comb his hair there was litter in the mats. YUCK! (not poop, just litter)

I went on and on about how bad he looked. I could not shut up about it. He is well taken care of by my boyfriend but his fur looked atrocious.

Finally my boyfriend asked me to stop talking about how awful the cat looked. I may have stopped talking about it but it has been on my mind like an OCD fascination.

I guess now I know how my mother felt. I don’t think she meant to offend me she just wanted me being the best I could be. I want the same for my animals and my children but it doesn’t do any good to focus on the negative. My boyfriend has been so good to this cat. Once he changes to the kind of litter I have suggested he use, I am sure this cat will be gorgeous again.