The real problem was, Thomas rationalized, was that the two women came from different generations and had vastly different viewpoints. While his mother had been a professional seamstress, his wife Mary had been an Elementary School teacher before she took a sabbatical to care for Bobby. Mary’s experiences as a Kindergarten and First Grade teacher had given her distinct ideas of how a small child was to be raised. She had seen the effects of impoverished childhoods and was determined that her baby wouldn’t be subjected to a lack of material goods.
Thomas beamed at his wife and Mother over the lunch dishes and decided that the mood was right to offer a birthday toast to his mother. Although his mother had never rejected Mary outright, they had never gotten along together. Thomas had decided that the problem stemmed from female jealousy over his attentions rather than a real personality difference. His wife and mother were actually very similar psychologically and physiologically. Each of them were the same height, i.e., five-foot eight-inches exactly and carried themselves in the same stately manner