If Only


The (Un)Wisdom of Childhood.
It's another rainy, sleepy day here at WoT HQ. I am yawning my head off in a way that would most certainly get one of my little-kid aphorisms delivered at me. I don't know if your family has catalogued the darling things you said when you were wee, but mine sure has. Thirty-three years later, "Free toys, Emmanuel" still has the power to start my mom giggling sometimes. She reminded me of another one the other day. In fact, it was one I had completely forgotten about, and missed my cue to repeat it, deeply disappointing Mom, who I believe has a secret plan to take our mother/daughter act on the road one day. Carole Sawdon: mother, vaudevillian.

The story is this: I was about five and on a car journey with my mother and grandmother. I was yawning excessively, and finally my grandmother asked me why I was yawning so much. My response was, "Because my body wants me to." My mom considers this to be a fine and reasonable response, as well as a humorous one. Wouldn't it be great, though, if it was a fine and reasonable response to questions like, "Why did you eat the entire bag of Oreos?" or "Why did you sleep all day?"

Responsibility and consequences keep us from living our adult lives by little-kid aphorisms, but I think we should have a day where we can live by the rules and boundaries (or lack thereof) we set out when doorknobs were at eye level. What a holiday that would be!
Posted: Friday - June 03, 2005 at 08:12 AM         | |

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