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Aug 5, 2007

Crazy things we did when our kids were small.

Trying to be good parents is a challenge to say the least. Being new parents, no one presents you with a handbook, where we can turn to page 63 and see what we're supposed to do when say, a child steals one of your children's toys.

The first house we lived in was in Pensacola Florida. My husband was a flag driver for the admiral, so it was a nice tour for him. This was the first house we owned. Unfortunately, we did not discover that our neighbors were mentally challenged in anyway until after we moved in.

The neighbors on the right slept during the day and cooked and partied at night. I suppose there were at least 15 people living in the house. When we decided it was time to go to bed, they decided it was time for supper. As they were feuding with the garbage people at the time, they bagged their garbage and stacked it on the side of the house facing our bedroom window. The smell...ah, the smell... We tolerated it for about a week, then made an anonymous call to the health department, who, in turn, made them come out and clean it up.

One day, the lady next door came over, introduced herself, a beautiful, cultured, black woman, and said, "Do you know what someone did to us?" Well, you know what someone did to them. We did it. I, of course, played dumb. "I can't believe it!" I said. We actually became good neighbors, well, she and I did. My husband never forgave them for the trash incident.

The house on the other side of us was the house that could have been occupied by Cheech and Chong had they been the parents of 6 or 7 children, we were never really sure how many lived there. The guy here ,too, only came out at night, and it was usually to work on some kind of diesel engine that required someone to rev it up over and over again. Or, one of his favorite past times was to grab his chain saw, and start pruning his trees. Maybe he needed firewood, (in Pensacola, during the summer of 79?). We just thought he was crazy, and probably should be avoided at all costs.

That changed when we noticed the black plastic car in their yard. Because EJ, all of 10 months old, had a black plastic car just like it. It was about a foot long, a convertible, and he could park his diapered ass on it and scoot around. It had been stolen! One of the nefarious little children from next door had snuck in our yard and had stolen it. At this time in our lives, we never considered confronting the parents and demanding the return of our child's toy. That would come later. With experience. Remember, we had no handbook!

We decided to wait until everyone was gone, hop the fence and steal it back. EJ had been walking for some time now. And he toddled after us as we made our way to the fence, checking the backyard for the crazy man, nope, he's gone, making sure the coast was clear. Then, my husband gingerly, standing on tip-toes, stepped over the fence, and keeping low to the ground, grabbed the black car, turned and ran like the devil, and practically leaped back over to safety. EJ was delighted. He sat on his little car and scooted around for a bit, while my husband and I sat on the front porch steps, feeling like theives, waiting for the sirens.

Then ,wordlessly, we watched, as he grabbed his little plastic car, walked to the fence, and, with all his might, through it over into the neighbors yard. Then he looked at us, expectantly. Then he pointed. "Ca! Ca!" he called. "WEll, shit!" my husband, said. He turned around and walked in the house.

When the boys were three and four, he listened to EJ cry and tell about a bigger boy of seven who had stolen his He-man sword, and went with EJ so he could show his daddy who the boy was. I'm saying, "let's just get him another sword." "No! It's the principle of the thing!"

So, my husband spent one whole afternoon following a seven year old boy, waiting for him to put his sword down so he could steal it back for EJ. We were watching TV when he came bounding in the house, "I got it! I got it!" We were so proud...until, we discovered EJ's sword behind the sofa. Which meant, my husband had just stolen a toy from a seven year old boy for no reason whatsoever.

The next morning, the little seven year old boy came to the door and demanded his sword. I gave it to him, and apologized, saying it was a mistake. He just looked at me, and asked, "Tell your husband to quit following me or I'm gonna tell my dad and he'll beat him up!"

"Yes," I said. "I will." What could I say? I didn't have a handbook!

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Every post you tell a story - you have the ability to make a regular incident sound like a thriller.
Thou rocketh :)

Unknown said...

me thanketh, and so do youeth

Unknown said...

Catmoves said...

So, car and sword thieves, eh? You're too late. I read this post and immediately went out and put the kids toys under lock and key. And left the Bull Mastiff there.
Slightly more serious, we've all done those kind of things. As my daughter says "Live with it". Besides, I won't turn you in.

August 05, 2007

Unknown said...

Someone could have told me I posted this thing twice! It was ok, but it wasn't that damn good. Oh, well, my mistake. Not one to lose a comment...lol...I pasted catmoves comment here. And, I think the statute of limitations may have run out. Anyway, I didn't steal anything. I'll turn state's evidence....lol..

Unknown said...

It was Keyser Söze, and poof, he was gone....

Anonymous said...

You once again have me crying and screaming with laughter. You sure have a gift for story telling. Tell us another one.

alphonsedamoose said...

Don't you wish that sometimes they did come with handbooks. It would make it so much easier and less tiring.

Loved the story.

Mary said...

Wish I could tell a story like you.
(hope you got my email. I have to check because sometimes people don't get them for some unknown to me reason.)

Scott from Oregon said...

imagin ebeing a wittle kid and having some adult follow you just to steal your sword?

Surprised you didn't get the burning dog poop at the doorstep down the road...

singleton said...

priceless! And I know these Pensacola stories first hand......I had to keep myself from asking, was that on Boxwood? Palifax? Blount Street? Olive Road? Were those the same neighbors whose kids stole the Charlie Chips cans off the front porch? (it was us~)

Anonymous said...

The kid with the sword had some kind of nerve! Eh... stuff happens. It made for a funny story.

Anonymous said...

How come your photos on this post turned into little red X's?

SpongyBones said...

That was my car damn it. Your husband just thought it was funny to take it! You said you wouldn't tell the story about our smelly trash ... gosh now I will have to tell that one story about you now I guess ...

Catmoves said...

I had the same problem babzy did. Little red x's this time.
And I would have sworn that car was my kid's.

Unknown said...

If his daddy liked to play with chainsaws then it could have been your kids car. Seems everywhere we lived, except Ivor, there were loonies around. Or maybe we were the loonies, I forget.

Ron Southern said...

I only have a 3 yr old nephew, but I'll use your story for part of my Handbook if he ever cries "Wolf" about his toys.

eric1313 said...

Hey, Just Me! Went to enemy's place and saw your words. Thank you so much. Glad to have you reading me, even in silence, i could tell... it has it's own voice.

The college library that I'm writing from is about to close, but I'll get back to you later. Just wanted to say hi.

And sorry about the neighbors; that's one of those gray situations, for sure--you want to, or need to do something about it, but you feel bad because of mental issues the people have. I don't know how it ends, but I can tell you are getting at a good point. I hope you are! Its set up to be!

Peace out and see you soon.