NaBloPoMo: Seven

Prompt seven: A pressure point translates in Japanese to "tender spot." What are your pressure points?

I like to think that I'm an easy-going person. I do my absolute best to not let negativity affect me, but I am human. I like this prompt because it makes me really evaluate circumstances that bring out negativity, and surprisingly, I have a lot less pressure points than I imagined. In no particular order, here are the two pressure points that bring out the crazy in me.

Criticism of my husband's speech. My husband didn't learn to speak until he was almost three years old because of hearing issues at birth. Because of this, he has a stutter and has difficulties pronouncing the "R" sound in most words. The latter is a kick in the pants since his name begins with "R," but he manages just fine. He is totally comfortable with his speech issues when he's around others he knows. If he's in a social situation where he doesn't know many people, he keeps quiet. He stutters when he gets excited about something, and he knows to stop, breathe, and gather his thoughts before trying his sentence again. He's cool with his stuttering. Once you get to know him, you don't even notice the pauses he makes. So what's my pressure point? When someone takes advantage of his stuttering for their own amusement. Hubby is very good at not letting the criticism bother him (because sadly, in his 30s, some people still point it out), but it irritates the you-know-what out of me to the point where I get defensive. I will not stand for someone mocking him or purposely getting him to say things that will bring out the stutter. He tells me to calm down on this because it doesn't bother him, but no. Just no.

Anything negative towards my mother. When my father passed away in 2009, I felt like the roles reversed with my mom and I. I became incredibly protective of her because she became so vulnerable not having my dad around. This summer will mark five years since his passing, and I still get defensive about anything that remotely affects her. My mom is a tough woman who doesn't take nonsense, but she has softened. As she gets older (she's in her 60s) and has started to have more health issues, I'm even more protective.

I guess anything that involves someone messing with my family in some way will get me. God help any person who does anything to my child that affects her negatively.