January 31, 2006
this is what they will talk about when they talk about their childhood
This morning, Wade and Henry were playing with superhero action figures, talking about their costumes and their powers and their enemies, when out of the clear blue, Henry said, ‘Dad, remember that time that you took me to the pool and I got a sunburn?’
This was two summers ago, when Henry was three; Wade took an afternoon off and took the boy to the pool. He forgot to put sunscreen on either of them, and they both got burned. It was Henry’s only sunburn ever and because he has an incredibly high pain tolerance, it didn’t really bother him (it wasn’t all that bad, actually) but it was one of our less good parenting moments and not something we really want the boy to call to mind when he thinks of his childhood.
‘Yes, I do remember that,’ Wade said, ‘and I still feel bad about it.’
‘Yeah,’ Henry said sadly, ‘I feel bad about it, too.’
Nothing like rubbing it in, well after the fact.
Charlie has been calling up some interesting memories as well, although his are more weird than sad. The other day at lunch, he and I were chatting while he was taking his sweet time with his fruit. I don’t know what I said, something about him being the baby, and he said, ‘I’m NOT a baby. I’m a BIG BOY.’
‘Yes, you are,’ I agreed.
‘I’m not a baby because you don’t have to feed me. Babies need to be feeded and I can feed myself.’
‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘But I remember when I used to feed you, when you were a baby.’
‘I don’t remember that,’ he said.
‘You don’t, huh?’ I said.
‘No. But I remember when I was an alien.’ He starts to laugh. ‘And when I was a SHADOW!’
‘Anything else?’
‘No, that’s all I remember.’
That seems like enough, really.
Yesterday the boys and I were playing Pirate Ship, and then Henry decided he wanted to play Doctor, but Charlie still wanted to play Pirates, so we played Pirate Doctor (the Pirate Doctor says things like, ‘Arrr, ye be having a broken arm there, lassie! I’ll be puttin’ a bandage on that there! Arr!’)
Henry was performing some complicated proceedure on my hand with a flashlight and some plastic tweezers and a pretend stethoscope, to make the blood flow in the right direction. So I told him about the four chambers of the heart and how blood flows through them and how important it is that all of the parts work properly. And then I told him about how, when I was pregnant with Charlie, we had an extra 3-D ultrasound because there was some concern that he had a heart defect (no heart defect; apparently, he was holding the umbilical cord during my exam and it slowed his heart rate down. More evidence that the boy is out to get me).
I told the boys that the doctor used a special machine to show us pictures of Charlie’s heart and of the blood moving in and out of it. ‘And,’ I told him, ‘we could see all your teeth, and the bones in your hands. You were sucking your thumb!’
‘I was?’ he said, looking at his thumb.
‘Charlie,’ Henry said seriously, ‘do you remember that?’
‘No,’ Charlie said sadly. ‘I don’t.’
Henry looked at me skeptically. ‘Are you SURE he was sucking his thumb?’
Yes, I’m sure.
Posted by Susan @ 7:08 am • Uncategorized
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January 31st, 2006 at 8:09 am, Felicity Says:
I love this post. I love your boys. They are SO DAMN CUTE. My son used to tell me stories about the places he lived before he cam to live with me. Houses, and such, but the one constant theme was the name of the town: North Queeth.
January 31st, 2006 at 9:14 am, Laura Says:
Your kids are so cute. I can’t imagine having boys in my house. With 2 girls it was the Barbies or Polly Pockets play school. I wish I got to play pirate.
And G. was sucking her thumb in her ultrasound too. Hee.
January 31st, 2006 at 9:17 am, Nancy Says:
I love the Pirate Doctor. “Aargh, turn your head and cough, matey.”
January 31st, 2006 at 11:22 am, Candace Says:
I love Henry’s jumper! So cute!
It’s funny the things they think they remember, and the things they actually remember can be just as funny.
My favorite pirate joke:
This pirate walks into a bar with a big ship’s wheel down his pants. The bartender says, “Excuse me, sir, but do you know you have a ship’s wheel down the front of your pants?”
And the pirate says…”Aaarrrr matey, I do and it’s driving me nuts!!”
Okay, maybe not kid friendly, but funny!
January 31st, 2006 at 11:40 am, mom on a wire Says:
That Pirate Doctor game sounds AWESOME. We are so going to play that today. Arrr.
January 31st, 2006 at 1:20 pm, Chag Says:
We play pirates as well. When Zoey stabs you with her sword, she “sharps you.”
January 31st, 2006 at 3:54 pm, Jenorama Says:
This is a great post. I like Henry’s deep-seeded suspicion that because Charlie couldn’t remember it, you might be making it up. Or have remembered it incorrectly. That is hilarious!
January 31st, 2006 at 6:36 pm, Susie Says:
Gorgeous picture of the boys! I love seeing them!
January 31st, 2006 at 8:21 pm, Misfit Hausfrau Says:
Dammit, I love your boys! And I am sure my daughter would love them too. Picture this–Ella frequently wears a princess gown, complete with a wand and mules. She will walk around the house and use her magic wand as a part time pirate sword. One minute she will use the wand and say, “As you Wish!” and then she’ll go up to the baby (or the dogs) and say something like, “Arrrgh, Matey! It is time to walk the plank. Vamanos!”
January 31st, 2006 at 8:34 pm, CarpeDM Says:
Pirate Doctor rules. I want to play that right now.
And your kids? I’ll be happy to take them when they’re teenagers. Because I’m sure they’ll be just as cute and as funny as they are now. Right? Why does everyone laugh at me when I say I like teenagers? Especially my mother?
Excuse me. I’m going to go find my Batman keychain and play with him for awhile. I want to play super hero.
January 31st, 2006 at 8:51 pm, Chilihead2 Says:
I love those kind of conversations with kids.
January 31st, 2006 at 9:16 pm, Kristen Says:
They remind me so much of B & Q. Henry and Bryce with their quirky suspicions that you’re always lying or exaggerating, Charlie and Quinn with their loveable assertions that they’re NOT BABIES. Love those kids.
January 31st, 2006 at 10:13 pm, Nothing But Bonfires Says:
Adorable picture, and if they picked their own outfits, they’ve done you proud!
My brother got an AWFUL sunburn when we were on vacation in the Philippines once — like huge BLISTERS the size of marbles on his shoulders, and my mother had to take him to the Hotel Nurse and she popped them. And the whole time she was telling him to be brave like MacGyver. My mother still cringes when he brings the memory up. Though he finds it’s good for when he wants to borrow money or the car or have another serving of cake. So beware of that ten years down the road.
January 31st, 2006 at 10:36 pm, Callie Says:
You are freaking me out. Yesterday, my Henry came to me and said, “Mom, why don’t they teach us about skeletons and hearts at school? I REALLY want to learn about that.” So we printed out some diagrams of skeletons and organs (what DID we do before the internet?) and he is FASCINATED with the one of the heart. We have a diagram of all of the ventricles and atriums and which way blood flows through each heart. How many 5 year-olds out there are interested in the mechanisms of the humant heart? Weird coincidence.
February 1st, 2006 at 6:38 am, Susan Says:
Callie, we’re hoping Henry will grow up to be a successful surgeon and support us in our old age.
And sadly, no, the boys did not put those outfits together themselves; we were meeting my in-laws for brunch at their country club, which has a NO JEANS rule, and this was the best we could cobble together for the boys. It took me ALL MORNING to find them each a pair of non-denim pants that fit. Not so cute now, is it?
February 1st, 2006 at 9:22 am, Matthew Says:
Well, it’s nice to know they’re keeping a list handy for the therapist.
Impressive that you snuck in a little education about the heart. I would have said something like, “In the movie Alien, a baby alien rips out of Sigourney Weaver’s chest! Cool, huh?!”
February 1st, 2006 at 10:01 am, Suburban Turmoil Says:
Ha! I totally relate to this post. My husband is no doubt one of the world’s best fathers- He has done absolutely ANYTHING for his girls. Yet to this day, my 15-year-old continually brings up the time she was three and she went to Disneyland and her dad wouldn’t let her get a huge lollipop!
Finally, when we were in Seattle two years ago, we found another huge lollipop and brought it home to her, hoping it would finally shut her up. She took about two licks and never touched it again…
February 1st, 2006 at 9:47 pm, kyra Says:
so funny! i love hearing about your boys. i love the conversations you all have.
February 2nd, 2006 at 7:45 am, sozzled Says:
My youngest still talks of the sunburn she got when she was 3 yrs old. Not of the fun spring break vacation to warm weather to meet a certain famous mouse. not the rides, the pools the beaches. but the sunburn.
your boys are adorable!