Attitude

"I still can't get over how adorable he is!" Carly gushed as she tickled Sam and Freddie's six-month old son's tiny feet, emitting a loud series of coos from the infant.

"I know, and against all odds too," Sam said, smiling as she watched her son. "He's got Frednub's DNA going against him."

"Ha, ha," Freddie said, rolling his eyes.

"Jason, I don't know how you're going to take the next eighteen years of living with these two," Carly said playfully. "But if they ever start to drive you crazy, you know you can always come over to your cool Aunt Carly's place."

Suddenly, though, Jason's previously happy face twisted into a scowl as he let out a loud cry.

"What'd I say?" Carly frowned as Sam quickly took the child.

"Nothing," Freddie assured her as Sam began to soothe him, rubbing gentle circles on his back. "He's just teething. He gets fussy like this all the time."

"Go get his teething ring," Sam told her husband. "I put it in the freezer for him this morning."

"Right," Freddie nodded, getting to his feet.

"Aw, it's okay, sweetie," Sam said, kissing the top of Jason's blonde head. "I know it's tough growing teeth. But just think of all the foods you'll get to eat soon. You'll finally get to know why mommy loves bacon so much!"

"Here you go," Freddie said, running back into the room with a small, colorful teething ring. "This will make your gums feel better, Jason."

Sam took the ring and carefully placed it in Jason's mouth. After a few moments, he began to happily gum and suck on the ring.

"There we go," Sam said. "All better."

"Man…look at how sweet he is!" Carly sighed. "I want one! Why don't I have one?"

"You'll get one," Sam chuckled. "And then you'll get to deal with the 4 A.M feedings, the spit-up, endless piles of diapers-"

"Don't forget the lack of time for yourself," Freddie added.

"Oh right, that," Sam nodded.

"Well gee guys, don't make parenthood sound so appealing," Carly said.

"Eh, we're just playing around," Sam said. "Even with all that stuff, it's still worth it."
"Big time," Freddie agreed.

Jason took the teething ring out of his mouth and looked around the room and made a few incomprehensible sounds as he waved his arms.

"What does he want?" Carly asked. "Is he hungry?"

"Nah," Sam said, reaching over to the coffee table and grabbing a small, red stuffed bear, which she handed to Jason. "He wanted his toy."

Sure enough, Jason hugged the bear close to himself, and looked up at his mother with a toothless smile of appreciation.

"Wow…you always know what he wants," Carly commented. "You're such a good mom, Sam."
"Course she is," Freddie nodded, giving Sam a quick kiss. "Jason's real lucky to have her."

"Eh, you spend all day around the kid, you pick up on things," Sam said modestly. "It's not-"

She was cut off by a sudden loud series of knocks on the front door.

"Who's that?" Carly frowned.

"Freddie!" they heard a familiar shrill voice call through the door. "Freddie, you open up this instant! There's a chill in the air."

"Of course," Freddie sighed, getting to his feet to let his mother in.

Once he opened the door, Marissa quickly stepped inside. "What took you so long?" she demanded. "Did you want your mother to freeze on the steps?"

"Mom, it's May," Freddie said, rolling his eyes. "It's eighty-five degrees outside."
"There was a breeze!" Marissa snapped.

Her annoyed scowl instantly evaporated, though, when she spotted Jason.

"Oh! There's my precious grandbaby!" Marissa exclaimed, hurrying over to Sam and plucking Jason right off her lap. "Did you miss grandma? Did you-Samantha? What's this?"

She grabbed Jason's stuffed bear from his hands and held it up.

"A toy?" Sam said, confused.

"A toy? You think that's all this is?" Marissa scoffed. "Do you know the amount of dust and ticks and who knows what else is hiding in the fur of this thing? It's enough to make poor Jason sick for a month!"

"Mom, Jason will be fine," Freddie said. "His bear is perfectly safe."

Jason let out a whimper as he reached for his bear back.

"Yeah, and it's his favorite, so if you don't mind, give it back to him," Sam said, biting her tongue.

"You don't need this ratty old thing, Jason," Marissa said, tossing the bear aside.

"Hey!" Sam said indignantly.

"Now, what has Jason eaten today?" Marissa asked, ignoring her daughter-in-law's protests.

"Sam just fed him a couple jars of baby food," Freddie sighed, hoping this visit would end peacefully. "He had strained peas and-"

"Jars of baby food?" Marissa repeated, glaring at Sam. "How many times have I told you about all the chemicals in those jars of baby food? You might as well feed Jason dirt from the yard!"

"Okay, mom, I think-" Freddie started.

"I suppose I'll have to go make Jason some real food," Marissa said, turning to head into the kitchen. "Since I appear to be the only one concerned for his health. Come on, Jason, grandma will make you some fresh mushed beets."

"Wow…" Carly commented.

"Yup," Sam sighed. She looked up at her husband. "Go make sure she doesn't put anything disgusting in my baby."

"I'll do my best," Freddie promised, following his mother into the kitchen.

"Don't worry about her, Sam," Carly said.

"Eh, I'm used to it," Sam shrugged. "She's been this way since I got pregnant."
"Still, it can't be easy to listen to her constantly criticize you like that," Carly said.

"It's fine," Sam sighed. "What am I gonna do? She's Freddie's mom and Jason's grandma. I'm stuck with her."

"And to think," Carly said, shaking her head. "I used to think that crazy mother-in-law thing was just a stereotype."

"Now where does she keep the food processer?" Marissa said meanwhile in the kitchen, going through the cabniets. "There's a complete lack of organization in here! And of course once I do find it, I'll have to sanitize it because heaven knows she hasn't."

"Sam, mom," Freddie sighed. "Can you at least use her name?"

"And look at the state of Jason's highchair," Marissa continued, ignoring her son. "It's downright filthy!"

"It's perfectly clean," Freddie frowned. "Sam wiped it down this afternoon after-"

"Oh, well then I can only imagine the germs left on it!" Marissa said, shaking her head in disgust.

"Mom, we've been over this," Freddie said. "I don't like it when you talk about Sam like this. She's my wife! Can you please show her some respect and-"

"It's just so unfortunate that my sweet grandson will have to grow up in such a germ-ridden home," Marissa sighed sadly. "Of course any decent mother would see that the home her son is living in is properly sanitized, but I suppose I can't expect too much from her."

Freddie frowned. "Alright, you know what? That's it."

He stepped forward and took Jason from his mother's arms. "Mom, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Leave? What do you mean?" Marissa sputtered.

"I mean, I'm sick of the way you talk about Sam," Freddie said firmly. "Ever since we got engaged, all you've ever done is criticize her and insult her and make her feel like she's not good enough. And I've done my best to try and ignore it, but enough is enough. Sam is a great mother, and I'm not going to let you stand here and say that she's not in her own home in front of her own son."

"I-You-You can't kick me out!" Marissa said. "I'm your mother!"

"I can and I have," Freddie said calmly. "And until you can learn to change your attitude towards Sam, I don't want you coming here, and-and I don't want you seeing Jason anymore."

Marissa's eyes widened. "You-You're depriving me of my grandson?"

"Until you start treating Sam respectfully, yes," Freddie said. "I'm sorry, mom. I love you, but I also love Sam, and I'm not going to let her continue to be treated this way by you."

"But Freddie!" Marissa argued. "I-"

"There's the door," Freddie said simply, pointing to the back door across the kitchen.

"But-But you-you can't-ah!" she let out an annoyed shrill as she stormed across the room and out the door, slamming the door behind her.

"Dude, what's going on in here?" Sam asked as her and Carly hurried into the kitchen.

"I kicked my mom out," Freddie said, handing Jason over to Sam.

"You kicked your-what?" Sam said.

"That's right," Freddie nodded. "I told her she can't come around here or see Jason anymore until she learns to be nicer to you."

"Are you serious?" Sam said. "Freddie, I-You didn't have to do that. She's your mom."
"And you're my wife," Freddie said, putting an arm around her. "And it's my job to make sure that nobody treats you badly. Including my mother."

"Look, baby, that's really sweet and all," Sam said. "But I don't want you to ruin your relationship with your mother over me. That will just make her hate me more!"

"Sam, when she says the things she says to you…it hurts me," Freddie told her gently. "And despite what you say, I know it hurts you too."

Sam didn't reply.

"She'll come around eventually," Freddie assured her. "She won't last not being able to see Jason. And speaking of Jason, it's time for this little guy to take his nap."

He took his son back from his wife, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Seriously, Sam. Don't worry about this. It will all be fine."

"Wow," Carly said as Freddie left the kitchen. "I can't believe Freddie actually did that. But you know what? Good for him! His mom does step over the line sometimes. I think he's absolutely right to tell his mom she can't see Jason until she learns to treat you better."

"Yeah…yeah I guess it'll be nice not having to worry about her bursting in all the time," Sam said slowly.

"You alright?" Carly frowned. "Come on, this is a good thing! Your husband actually stood up for you against his own mother! Most guys wouldn't ever do something like that. Andy never says a word when his mom scoffs at my iced tea."

"Yeah, I know, I'm glad he's finally beginning to stand up to his mom," Sam said. "It's just, I don't know, the two of them have always been so close. You know they still have their weekly puzzle night? Freddie acts all annoyed about it, but you can tell deep down he enjoys it. I just don't want him to ruin that over-over me."

"Aw Sam, this isn't your fault," Carly said. "And I'm sure this will all blow over in a few days anyway. Like Freddie said, she's gonna want to see Jason again. And when it all does, you'll have a mother-in-law who actually treats you like a person! Won't that be nice?"

"I dunno, Carls, that woman can be pretty stubborn," Sam said. "And that's coming from me."

…..

"I swear, I think he said his first word today," Sam said a week later, as her and Freddie sat on the couch with Jason. "I was just finishing changing his diaper when he said it!"

"Sam, he's six-months old," Freddie said. "That's way too young for him to start talking."
"Well he's smart!" Sam defended. "Come on, Jason. Let's show daddy how you can talk."

"Ga!" Jason cooed, pulling at one of Sam's curls.

"See!" Sam exclaimed. "He said it! He said 'ga'!"

"Baby, that's not a word, he's just babbling," Freddie chuckled.

"It is too a word!"

"No, it's-you know what? I can see myself eventually losing this argument," Freddie sighed, holding out his arms for Jason. "So congratulations of your first word, son. Daddy's proud of you."

"Wanna order a pizza to celebrate?" Sam asked. "I've been craving pepperoni all day."

"Can't," Freddie said. "It's almost seven. I'm gonna go do a puzzle over at my-oh…"

He quickly cleared his throat. "Yeah, yeah a pizza sounds good."

Sam frowned. It had been a whole week, and Freddie was still standing his ground about his mother not coming over or seeing Jason. And she could tell that as much as he tried to act as though he didn't mind, Sam could tell he was really starting to miss her.

"I'll go order it now, in fact," Freddie said, getting to his feet. "So…so pepperoni and extra sausage for you then?"

"Um, yeah," Sam nodded.

"Alright, I'll be back in a sec," Freddie said, setting Jason down on her lap. "I think I have a coupon on my desk."

As Freddie hurried out of the room, Sam let out soft sigh as she watched Jason amuse himself by stuffing his fist into his mouth.

Never, not in a million years, would she have ever imagined herself feeling bad about Marissa Benson no longer popping up in her life. But here she was, and instead of feeling overjoyed, she felt…guilty and almost, well, sad for the woman.

What if she never comes around? Sam thought to herself. And Freddie goes years and years without speaking to her? What if Jason never gets to see her again? What if the next time Freddie finally sees her, it will be when-when it's too late?

She looked down at her own son, innocent and carefree.

She imagined how heartbroken she would feel if one day, Jason tried to kick her out of his life.

She knew it would absolutely devastate her.

"Alright, I just put the order in," Freddie said, returning to the room. "It should be delivered within the next half-hour."
"Hey, why don't I go and pick it up instead?" Sam said, getting to her feet.

"Why? Wouldn't that be more work?" Freddie frowned.

"No, I, um, just remembered I needed to drop off that jacket Carly let me borrow the other day," Sam said. "And the pizza place is on the way anyway."
"Well alright," Freddie shrugged. "I guess that works. Hey, while you're out I'll give Jason his bath and-"

"That's okay, I was actually going to take him with me," Sam said. "You know Carly loves to see him. Why don't you just take a break and watch T.V. or play with your trains or something?"

"Did I miss something here?" Freddie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you just tell me to relax?"

"Well you can either sit here and question it," Sam smirked, grabbing her keys. "Or enjoy it."

Sam stared at the door in front of her, trying to figure out exactly what she was doing.

"Alright, Jason, I can do this," she said heavily. "I'll get in and out of there in ten minutes. It's gonna be rough…but it's for you and daddy."

And so, taking a deep breath, she quickly knocked on the door.

A moment later, she heard the disarming of the alarm system and the many locked being turned and the door opened to reveal Marissa.

"Samantha?" she said, clearly surprised to see her daughter-in-law at her door. "What are you-Jason!"

The infant cooed happily as held out his arms, but Sam held on tightly to him.

"Can I come in?" Sam asked simply.

"Well I-Freddie wouldn't-"

"Relax, Freddie doesn't know I'm here," Sam said.

"I-Well I suppose," Marissa nodded, stepping back so Sam could enter the apartment.

"Look, I'll cut to the chase," Sam said. "I'm proud of Freddie for finally standing up to you. And he's right. You do treat me horribly. And you know what? I hate it. I hate having you throw away all my food and rewash our laundry and scoff at my Numchuck collection in the living room. And most of all, I hate when you make me feel like I'm some sort of horrible mom."

Marissa blinked, taken aback.

"But," Sam said. "I-I don't want there to be some big riff between you and Freddie because of you and me. And-And believe it or not, I do want you to be in Jason's life."

She kissed the top of her son's head before holding him out to Marissa.

Marissa's face lit up. "You-You mean-I can-"

"Yeah, yeah, just don't spray him with anything," Sam said.

"Oh, Jason, grandma's missed you so much!" Marissa said, smothering the poor child with kisses.

"Listen," Sam said. "I-I know the two of us are never going to have one of those warm, fuzzy mother-daughter relationships. I don't even have that with my own mom. But, well, like it or not, the two of us are kind of stuck with each other. So, I was thinking, it would probably be best if we could at least try to put aside our differences and be civil to one another. That way Freddie will let you back into his life and you can see Jason. So…when I get home, I'm going to tell Freddie I ran into you while I was out and that you apologized to me for the way you've treated me and that you promised you'd try and work on that. And then...and then I guess you can come over whenever you want again."

"You would do that?" Marissa said, looking completely flabbergasted.

"Yeah, I'm not a complete monster," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Plus, well, maybe it's that whole maternal thing kicking in, but I know I wouldn't ever want to be pushed out of Jason's life. No matter what."

She took her son back and started for the door. "Anyway, I guess I'll see you around then. I'm sure Freddie will call you once I tell him everything."

"Wait," Marissa said just as Sam was reaching for the doorknob.

Sam turned around.

"I-I suppose," Marissa said, looking like she swallowed a lemon. "I suppose if you're going to tell Freddie all of that, it-it might as well be true. So…So I'm sorry, Samantha, if the way I've treated you in the past has come off…unfavorably. And-And I do promise to try my best to treat you better in the future."

"Oh," Sam said. "Um, well…thanks. I-I'm sure Freddie will be real happy when I tell him all that."

She turned back around and opened the door. "Well…see you then."

"And-And Sam?" Marissa said before Sam could shut the door. "You-You're a really good mother. And-And I do mean that."

Sam smiled. "Thanks. That, um…that actually means a lot."