Before Children
BEFORE CHILDREN
Before children, I had a real cushy life. I could go where I wanted, do as I wanted, and eat whatever I liked. I could shop for hours, take long baths, stay out until morning or sleep all day long. My home was neat and organized, stylishly decorated and all mine. This was before my children arrived.
Then, I became pregnant. I'd find myself dreaming of what life would be like after the baby arrived. I also found myself full of opinions on what a "good parent" would and wouldn't do. People who have children find soon-to-be mothers extremely annoying.
I was NEVER going to go to the store with my kid in a diaper and dirty t-shirt. Really, how hard is it to wash the kid, dress it in a cute outfit and put on shoes? Those other mothers must not really love their children! Yeah, right. That theory of child raising went out the window the first time I ran out of diapers at ten o'clock at night.
After getting up every three hours to feed, burp, change, rock, and hold this sweet torture device, I hadn't even had time to wash and dress myself. We stumbled into the local mini-mart looking like refugees from a tornado. He smelled. I smelled. There was a nasty brownish stain on the back of his t-shirt and on my arm where he was resting. I had spit-up on my shoulder, and down the backside of my shirt. My hair was styled in a chic lawnmower accident look. To cap it all off, when my son started crying, my breasts started leaking, and I had two lovely wet spots on my chest.
Everyone was so nice. People moved quickly away, giving us plenty of room. They tried to make me feel better by pretending they didn't see us. I've never seen people so eager to open doors for me before.
Reality hit as I was leaving. I was almost out the door, when this smug, self-righteous, pregnant woman spoke to her husband.
"Can you believe how some people treat their children? I am never going to go to the store looking like that, and neither is my child."
Dream on lady, dream on.
the old days
I miss the old days. Sometimes life seems so much sweeter when you look back. Take going to the movies for example.
When I was little, we went to the drive-in movies every Saturday night. It was a family affair, and my whole family looked forward to it.
My mom would make popcorn at home and bag it. Remember the greasy, salty, buttery popcorn cooked on the stove in a big metal pan. It got soggy after awhile, but tasted better than anything when you ate it outside.
We took along a huge jug of red Kool-aid. Mom thought you didn't need to add a full cup of sugar, so it was always tart. It was a special occasion when you got to drink out of paper cups; we usually had to drink from the jug.
Once, mom threw in some M+M's with the popcorn. That time is talked about with reverence at family reunions.
Just the words Drive-in movie can conjure up wonderful memories. Fighting to see who gets the hump seat in the back, uncomfortable, but the best view. Blankets spread on the ground where kids can stretch out. Trucks backed in so you can watch from the truck bed. The round speaker hooked on the window blaring.
It wasn't just a movie, but a social event. Friends would walk by, and stop to visit. Gossip would be exchanged, and advice given. Our drive-in even had a playground for kids who had too much energy to sit and watch the movie.
Let's not forget the romance. When you're a sleepy kid in the backseat, it was a comfort to see your mom slide over and your dad put his arm around her and snuggle for a bit. I knew all was right in the world as I fell asleep with them whispering and giggling in the front seat.
How sad that today there are so few drive-in theaters still in service. A slice of American history is slowly dying out.
We have a family movie night once a week at home, my husband and my boys, but it isn't the same. I still make Kool-aid, but the green kind. I still make popcorn, the microwave kind. I tried the old way, but it didn't taste the way it used to.
Not everything has changed. I slide over and sit with my husband, he puts his arm around me and we snuggle. The boys fall asleep on the couch listening to the sound of their parents' whispers and giggles. All is right in their world, and I guess that's really the point isn't it?
Janet Smith on August 8, 2008
Oh, I espcially like "The Old Days"!! You got the feeling just right! Thanks.