Of the 30 years I’ve spent listening to you, the most valuable call to me is the "meatball" analogy story. I’m sure you remember it: a 10-year-old boy wanted more from his non-custodial mom. She was consistently disappointing him by not being there. "What's your favorite food?” you asked him. "Spaghetti and Meatballs!" he responded. You followed up by asking how many meatballs he'd want on his plate, and he wanted five! “What if I give you spaghetti with just two meatballs?” You posed. He thought about it for a moment and decided he’d still eat it. "But you wanted 5 meatballs,” you reminded him.
"Yeah, but it's still spaghetti and meatballs,” the boy replied.
"That's your mom. She is giving you what she can. Sometimes you only get two meatballs. You can still enjoy them, but the reality is there will only be two,” you said.
I LOVE THIS ANALOGY! I use it all the time in multiple situations with my girlfriends and kids. In fact, I’m applying it to my own relationship with my adult daughter. I’m so proud to see her become the successful woman she is. But she is dating a man 17 years older than her and lied about it for two years. We’re now trying to reconcile and spend time together. She is my “two meatballs,” and I do love meatballs.
Thank you for always putting things into perspective in your unique, straight-up way!
Nancy
When You Get Two Meatballs Instead of Five
How have you found peace in forgiveness? What made it possible to move forward after it happened? Share your story by emailing drlaura@drlaura.com!
