It's MY annoying family, thank you

Ahhh, holidays.. family togetherness. Isn't it great? Don't you just want to run screaming from the house, to board a plane to some far away place, under a false name?

It's funny how those nearest and dearest to us know exactly how to push our buttons. My buttons are just about worn off after this holiday.

I once had a Geometry teacher that our entire class adored. Not because he was Boy-Band pretty. He was an average sort of guy, but had a big heart and he was a great mentor.

I hung around after class one day and he asked what was wrong. I started on the story of whatever it was that my mother and I were arguing about. He listened, and then said "Well, she sounds like she's really unreasonable." I immediately backtracked and said "Well, no, she's not that bad, usually...." and trailed off because he was laughing at me, gently, with a "See?" expression on his face.

I did see his point. Sometimes we need to vent about our family members. Yet the minute an outsider says anything negative, we will defend our own.