My friend Judy,Judy,Judy gave me a lovely idea in her comment on my most recent post: to post good memories of my mom every day for awhile — until her birthday I think would be best — to offset the negative ones I've been remembering from just before she died. So here's today's good memory of Mom.
Mom was always the "grown-up" in the family, because my dad could be such a kid. It was always Mom who said "look out" and "be careful" and "are you sure you should ...". So when she let her inner child out to play, it was always a surprise and so much fun.
I grew up in So. Cal. We had a swimming pool from the time I was ten. We lived in a tract ranch-style house with sliding glass doors that led out to the backyard and the pool. One day while Mom had just finished washing the dishes in the sink (pre-dishwasher time), my dad said something to her. I don't know what it was, but she grabbed the sprayer next to the kitchen faucet, turned on the water, and let my dad have it! He was drenched.
Undeterred, Dad headed for the backyard and the faucet back there. Mom, meanwhile, filled a plastic cup with water and sent one of us kids out to throw it on my dad: my brother and I were entirely flexible about whose side we were on at any given time during a water fight.
Mom and Dad proceeded to drench each other, us two kids, and parts of the house before deciding that the amount of water on the floor indoors and the cement outdoors was becoming hazardous. Then we all bent to the task of cleaning up.
There was no clear winner in the War of Water, but it has always filled me with wonder and laughter that my mom, the grown-up of the family, started the water fight, especially from the kitchen. She may have been the grown-up, but she had a tremendously mischievous inner child!
That's a fun memory. And how nice that your mom could feel so free to do that.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I have to remember she was only 21 years older than me, so she was young, even though she acted older most of the time. During car camping vacations, my folks and my aunt and uncle almost always got in a water fight, with all of us kids being used as spies and secret attacks back and forth. But all of those were outside. Guess vacation was usually the time to let loose and be young again for my mom and the others.
DeleteI love this! So fun!
ReplyDeleteAs I got older, my mom got more fun. Or I recognized her humor and her sense of fun more. By the time I was in my 30s, she and I had great fun together (but no more water fights!).
DeleteYour memory brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful moment to remember, especially since it was 'out of character' and gave her a different dimension. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYay for good memories!
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