Sharing Memories Of Our Children Growing Up

The other day, my husband and I were discussing the things our kids did as they were growing up. We laughed so hard but felt really good when we were finished laughing. I thought about that and wanted to write something to make everyone laugh. So, I am dedicating today’s Story to some of the memories with our children.

I am not sure how to begin because we have so many memories with both of them. I will start with the oldest – our daughter. I was such a tomboy growing up and when I had our daughter, I was not too sure how to raise a little girl. The thought of frills, hair braids, and dresses caused me to panic. I don’t know why, but I guess it’s because I didn’t do all of that.

When she was born, my husband thought I was going to cry because it was a girl and not a boy. But surprisingly enough, she turned out to be quite a bit like myself. She and her brother enjoyed the outdoors so much that it was nothing to have mud monsters walk through the house to the bathroom before I could catch them with the water hose!

Some of these memories are funnier now that we look back on them than at the time. I know when the kids were little, they seem to always find the unfortunate moments to throw up on me or other people. We were in church one morning when our daughter started to throw up, but I managed to keep it confined between the both of us. The very next Sunday, an elderly woman told me it didn’t go unnoticed! Ugh!

Our son was probably one of the worst though. I was forever changing my clothes and even once had to buy a new shirt for grandma! She still talks about that. You would’ve thought that I would’ve gotten into the habit of bringing extra clothes.

I love this memory! One day after work my husband came home and put our female dog in a pen to keep the male dogs in our neighborhood from getting her. Our son asked him why he put the dog back there in the pen. He commented back, “Because I do not want her to get bred and have a bunch of puppies around here right now. “

I was preparing breakfast the very next morning and our son comes running out into the kitchen, pulls up a chair to the counter, grabs the loaf of bread, and runs out the door. I hollered out after him and asked him what he is doing and where he is going. He responded, “I am going to give her some bread because I want puppies!” Out of the mouth of a three year old! I laughed so hard I couldn’t stop him from reaching the dog pen.

Our kids are about 20 months apart. They were always getting into things and doing things. Our son was constantly putting things in his mouth, especially when he was outside and the worms were tempting! He managed getting one about halfway in his mouth before I got to him one day. I think the throwing up urges the kids had when they were little was inherited from me!

As much as our two kids fought, they did a lot together! I was in the kitchen one mid afternoon fixing supper when I needed the margarine from the refrigerator. I open the door and searched and could not find it. I looked on the counter and on the table and it was nowhere and I knew that I had a fairly new container.

The kids were playing with their kitchen set in our daughter’s bedroom and I could hear them playing so I hadn’t bothered to check on them for a bit. Everything seemed calm and they were talking and having a good time so I didn’t want to interrupt. Since I paused my supper to get the margarine, I decided to walk back the hallway and check on them.

I stepped into the open doorway and gasped! The two were sitting on her bed with the tub of margarine between them, their hands full of balled up margarine, and their faces smeared from eating it! I was just stumped. They looked up and grinned at me like nothing was wrong.

I apologize for these memories not flowing, but I am just going to tell them as best as I remember them. This next memory is also one of our favorites of our daughter. She was about four years old when her cousin wanted to go fishing and she insisted that she fish with him. My mom and his mom met us down at the lake.

It took a little while to catch one but she managed catching a bluegill. Her cousin helped her real it in until she could walk the fishing pole with the fish on it up away from the water. She was excited about it until she moved the pole a little closer to her person so she could see the fish.

Her expression on her face when she looked at it and saw it moving was priceless. She began to scream out and her feet scampered about not knowing what to do with the pole. She dropped it and ran away from it crying. It scared her so bad she ran up to me crying and hugging my leg for dear life. But within minutes, she was back to fishing!

Our kids both did a little sleep walking and talking as they were teenagers. Our daughter had mild incidents where once her bed was moved from the wall and she woke to a magazine on her pillow. However, our son was a little more extreme!

One night our daughter was standing in our son’s bedroom doorway listening to him sleep talk. Suddenly, he gets up to walk – all while still sleeping – and she screams. This wakes him up and he starts screaming. We wake up and run to see who’s broken into the house. By the time we reach the hallway between their bedroom doors, they are both bent over from laughing pains and can’t stop to answer our questions.

There was one morning I went to wake up my son for school. When I said his name, he sat straight up in bed looking at me wide-eyed. He said, “Mom! I just don’t know what happened!” I asked him what he meant and he said that he woke up during the night standing in the living room facing the wall.

I laughed at him and said, “Sleepwalking again huh?” He said, “No! You don’t understand! I woke up with nothing but my underwear on!” I couldn’t help laughing out loud as I watched him panicking. I laughed harder when he told me it wasn’t funny! I asked him if he found his pajamas and he said no.

It was in the middle of winter and we still had a little frosty snow and patches outside. I wondered if there was a possibility that he even went outdoors. Surely the cold air would have woke him! I told him to get ready for school and I would keep my eyes out for his clothes.

I looked around and I did not see anything so went about my chores after they left for school. It was about mid day when I opened the dishwasher and found his shorts on the bottom level. I got a really good laugh at that! Later that evening after the kids were home, I went to the basement and found his shirt hanging on one of the fake trees in the corner. He made his way around the house that night!

I have so many funny memories to share, but let me indulge you in one more. This pertains to a snake! Most girls would be afraid of snakes but not our daughter. She worked on the farm and would chase a snake through the field to pick it up. Now our son was just the opposite. He is paranoid of snakes. Our daughter had one in her pocket in the truck on the way home one day and he sat in the truck bed.

We keep fake snakes around to scare birds from the cherry trees and perhaps to hide here and there to make someone jump. One day I came up from picking cherries in our back yard to walk into our enclosed breezeway and find a supposed fake snake climbing between our partially opened front solid door and the screen door.

I hollered at the kids, who were in the house, and told them they did not scare me. They came running to see what I was talking about when at the same time the snake moved! We all screamed! It was a very long black snake that was probably about 3-31/2 feet long and it slithered sideways and down where we had to move closer to see it. It looked exactly like our fake snake!

I don’t mind snakes if I see them first, but I don’t like handling them. I can’t remember exactly how it got into the front yard, but think our daughter carried it out. The snake slithered toward our son and I think he leapt 15 feet in a single jump to the hood of our van. I’d never seen him move so fast!

Memories! We all have funny memories of some sort. To some, they are hilarious and to others they might just bring out a smile, but nonetheless, they are happy moments. I hope you have enjoyed our memories and I encourage you to step back in your past and recall some of yours! We can all use some happiness and laughter in our lives!