Stolen

I have stolen the idea for this entry from my best friend.

Early childhood memories. What are your strongest?

I posted on her blog that I remember vividly falling out of my crib at around age 2, landing on my head, flopping over onto my back, and staring up at my parents' concerned faces and saying, "Hi Mommy!!"

I remember when the wooden railing on the front porch gave way while I was leaning on it and I fell through and landed in the fire thorn bush. Also age 2.

I remember at 3 I hopped down the front steps on my hoppity horse and landed on my head. I did a lot of landing on my head as a kid. Imagine that.

I told my mother today that one of my strongest memories is of hearing about midnight snacks all of the time, and how I said I would never get to have a midnight snack. So one night at midnight my mother woke me up and led me to the kitchen where a peanut butter sammich was waiting for me. Have I ever mentioned how awesome my mom really is?

There was a radio in my room above my bed. And they had it set to a local AM station. And every night at 10pm they would play "Honey." Do you remember that song? Manipulative piece of bullshit it was, but I sobbed every night when it came on. I dreaded 10pm. I would watch the clock and tense up and then "Honey" would start. And I'd bury my face in my pillow and cry my eyes out. I hate that song.

One day while I was not at home

While she was there and all alone

The angels came

Now all I have is memories of Honey

And I wake up nights and call her name

Now my life's an empty stage

Where Honey lived and Honey played

And love grew up

And a small cloud passes overhead

And cries down on the flower bed

That Honey loved

Seriously. What the hell?

My mother used to cut out shapes from construction paper and glue them onto a larger piece of paper for me into little scenes. She did a Christmas scene one time complete with fireplace, stockings, teeny candles on the mantel, and a small orange cat in front of the hearth. I loved those.

When I was 3 years old one of the bigger kids across the street put a tack in the front tire of my tricycle, and I cried and cried. It was a solid wheel. It didn't matter. He abused my property. That stuck with me my whole life. I have never harmed anyone else's property because I remembered how that felt.

I remember when our cat Butch bit me and I ran crying to my mom. "Butch bit me!!" "Oh yeah? What were you doing to him?" Ah. Yes.

I remember VERY vividly being at a 4th of July party at my aunt's house, and I ran to my Uncle Joe and gave him a big hug. Then I looked up and it wasn't Uncle Joe. I think it was one of his brothers who I didn't know. I burst into tears and ran off and hid.

The first fish I caught, at age 3 in the crick in my aunt's backyard, was a pregnant catfish who proceeded to give birth while I had her on the hook. Talk about freakouts. Gross, man.

I wonder what my kids will remember.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, titled "Dumb Shit I Did."