As my son and I shopped for school supplies today, I had mixed feelings. Senior year--the year every kid lives for and the year many parents dread. Then there are the parents like me who are not sure what to feel.
On one hand, it's a relief--he made it! One the other, it's sad because you realize they are growing up too quickly. Walking through the isles, I saw a mixture of ages. It seemed the older the child, the less excited they were--funny how that happens.
Waiting in line is always a joy. You find the most interesting gadgets, that are screaming, "Buy me, I'm only a buck". Then I saw it; a flashlight--a special flashlight that took me back in time.
Our home has never been a boring place, especially when the kids were little. My husband always made sure the kids were screaming and laughing. The worst was at bedtime. They would always ask me to send dad in to tell them a goodnight story."His stories are better", they would say. Before long, they were laughing. His stories would last at least 15 minutes.
"Settle down guys, it's bedtime, go to sleep, I'm not going to tell you again!"
This he said in a very deep voice for my benefit. They were silent a moment and then all three of them would be snickering.
I can't recall the first time this happened, but at some point, my husband decided it would be funny to pour cold water on our son while he was in the shower, then turn off the light.
"D-A-D!" Justin would yell. "One of these days, your gonna get it", he adds as he laughs.
This became a ritual, but it remained sporadic to keep the element of surprise at its best. When Justin was seven or eight, he came to me and told me he was ready to get back at his dad. You can imagine how thrilled I was!
Justin climbs onto the counter to get the pitcher. I never heard such a devious giggle come from an innocent child--I loved every minute of it. As he was walking toward the bathroom, I had a brilliant idea!
"J, come back here, you can do better than your dad."
I emptied some of the water, filled the pitcher with ice cubes, then added more water. Justin's giggle was almost scary. I had to help him carry it back to the bathroom.
I must have been a good influence on him because just before we got to the bathroom, he whispers in my ear, telling me he is going to turn off the light first and then throw the water over! I was so proud! I helped him onto the chair that I had quietly snuck in a few minutes earlier.
And then the deed was done. My husband gasped to catch his breath! We left the bathroom so fast and yes, Justin left the light off.
"Excuse me, mam, can you move up please?"
Another moment and I was back in our little singlewide trailer, watching the sunlight glisten off the lake.
"Daddy", yells Brittany from the end of our driveway--which is about 200 feet away.
"My hand is stuck, you gotta help me daddy!" My daughter is practically in tears while my husband stands still, debating whether or not to run to her rescue.
He looks at me, I look back--shrugging my shoulders, "It's your call", I say.
By this time, she is crying and yelling for help--promising with all her heart that she is not faking it. So he takes off, bare-footed down the gravel driveway to help her.
When he was about 5 feet away from her, she pulls her hand out of the mailbox and says, "Gotcha"!
Moving forward in line, I take a deep breath and smile at my son. Many jokes have been played in my family, but these two are dear to my heart as they represent the kind of relationship my husband would have with our children. They had fun with me at times, but this story isn't about me, so I don't need to get into that now.
There is one thing that continues to puzzle me; my son is almost 18 and he keeps a flashlight in his bathroom and his bedroom. Now that I think about it, there is a flashlight in every room of our house, he knows how to turn on the generator, and is well acquainted with the fuse box. Could it be…nah!
As for Brittany, she can still cry on a dime, and she is way too good at being tricky.
I am sure it's all just a coincidence and has nothing to do with their childhood.
On the other hand, if I should ever get random bills from a therapist, I'll know I was wrong.
Senior year and my daughter's 20th Birthday--what a day!
When my husband showers tonight, I think I'll throw a pitcher of ice water on him and turn off the light for old times sake.
What? There's a flashlight in there.
(C) Teresa Ortiz
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