Month: April 2018

Mumbles… Tantrum

Working 20 years as a cashier I saw my share of tantrums at the checkout. Often the parents worn down and tired would give in to the child and buy them candy or the toy they carried through the store. The customers I had to cringe about were the ones who would let their kids play, chew on and drool all over a toy then ask ME to take it from the child who would no doubt start to have at least a good loud scream. If you don’t have the courage to disappoint your own kids once in a while the future for them is doomed to be a major disappointment.

There is also the disgusting fact that the child had placed their germs all over the toy ready to spread them to whoever next needs a shopping pacifier. It made me wipe down a toy or two for my daughter before I would ever let her touch it.

I know when I was growing up I can’t ever recall being allowed to play with something we were not going to buy. When did the stores become playgrounds? I better stop typing now or I might just get mad enough to throw a tantrum about half-hearted parenting.

The Outdoor Rules

Johnny and Mark were playing catch in the yard. Mark had signed up for little league and was hoping to be the team pitcher. When Johnny missed the ball they cringed, hoping it would not go into the neighbor’s yard.

Sure enough Mr. Paulson swung open his front door and hollered at the two boys, “You better not be coming onto my lawn! Don’t want no kids ruining my lawn!”

Mr. Paulson had turned into quite a cur the last few years. The boys both replied as Johnny stopped the ball just shy of the yard, “We won’t Mr. Paulson.”

Mumbles… Bestow

I tried to write a poem, I tried to write a story… trouble is bestow is not a common word for me and the attempts just seemed forced this time. So I am stuck, my muses are taking a lunch break and I am left with a blog to write about something.

Bestow is to give. I can think of a million things to give but bestow should be more of a grand gesture. I don’t have much to give that seems worthy of something grand. I sit here and think if I have been given anything grand in the recent past. And my mind is blank.

The one thing that I can think of that is a grand gift would be love. And that takes me back to the thing I love the most – my daughter. So I guess my ex-husband bestowed upon me the greatest gift of all about 24 years ago when I became pregnant. I wish I could say I remember the night and it was magical and I just knew… it didn’t work that way for me.

None the less, she is the greatest gift I have ever received. She even beats that first bike I finally got in grade school (if I remember right it was a pink Schwinn bike with streamers off the handles). It was a real beauty. But my daughter is more beautiful – inside and out.

What is the greatest gift you have ever been given?

Backyard Fun

Dawn finished pushing the last hoop into the ground. She turned to Ann and said, “It is time for your lesson. I still can’t believe you have never played croquet before. I played it a ton growing up.”

Ann turned to her and asked, “I understand the basic play of going through the hoops, but what is it again when you hit another ball?”

Dawn replied, “You get to send the other player into the opposite direction of where they are headed.”

“OK Dawn, let’s give this a try.” Ann said as she took her first swing with a mallet.

After All These Years

It was finally here – an authentic Luke Skywalker from the original Star Wars. Bob had owned one as a boy, but being a typical boy had played with it through a number of battles including being buried alive, painted red (for blood) and the finally a “fire pit” too close to a candle. He had gotten in trouble for that one as burning plastic stunk up the whole house and he wasn’t to play with matches or candles.

Bob carefully unwrapped the box and placed the action figure on the shelf next to Darth Vader. His collection was now complete.