What Goes Around, Comes Around

A while back, I seem to remember a certain young Mom (initials DYM) posting an entry about her youngest child, Magoo. You remember - the one about how he's always into everything, breaking stuff, pulling stuff out, falling down, playing in the toilet, never let your eye off him 'cause if you do he'll burn the house down kinda stuff.....

Well, I also remember an old Bill Cosby routine where he's talking about kids and he mentioned Adam and Eve and about when they got kicked out of the Garden, God cursed them by saying, "Multiply and replenish the earth".

We've all heard parents say to one or more of their children, (not that any of us would have said it or even thought it ourselves), "I hope when you get married and have children, you have one just like you!!!"

I know it may be hard for some of you to believe, but DYM got into her fair share of mischief as a child as well:




Notice the crumbs left in the cake pan. Notice the crumbs left on the plate. Notice the crumbs on her hands and face. But especially notice the look on her face - you know the one - the one that says, "I think I may be in trouble, but if I smile real cute maybe they won't notice, or at least maybe they'll think it's so funny they'll take a picture and send it to Grandma."

DYM went on to get in other kinds of mischief, most of which I won't mention here, but I seem to remember a conversation she and I once had about her driving. "You're driving too far to the right, try to stay in the middle of the lane", says I. "Dad, I know precisely where every piece of car is at all times. I'm very good at depth perception and spacial relationships", says she. "Okay, but try to keep to the center of the space where the car is", says I.

A few days later I come home to find two small bolt holes in the top of the drivers side front fender of the car, caused by my depth perceptive, spacial relationship expert bouncing the left front tire off the cement curb that supported the security card reader into the parking garage at the office where she worked afternoons her senior year in highschool, causing the mounting bolts on the bottom of the card reader to embed themselves into the top of the fender. If I remember correctly, that the same cute smile got her out of that one as well.

So, to all of you who struggle with over-active little bundles of joy, "Don't sweat the small stuff!" If I say to my kids, "I hope that you have a kid just like you!", I honestly do mean it as a blessing, not a curse. I could not wish for a better family, and I'm so proud of how they've turned out and how they continue to develop. They truly are a blessing.