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| Don't let the dapper exterior fool you. Somewhere inside is that 9-year-old. |
Even in families, it's not always a good thing . . .
My Dad is the youngest of eleven children.
If anyone asks him if he is related to Owen (his eldest brother) he tells them: Distantly.
When my Dad was nine, said oldest brother lived close by with his family. A wife and three-year-old son, Brian.
Brian adored his much older uncle.
He toddled along after 'Unca Mark' whenever he could.
Usually a good thing.
Occasionally . . . not.
My Dad had the twice-daily chore of milking the cow.
Brian loved to go along.
Just because.
It was a fun, companionable time for the two boys.
All was well.
One day, Brian's mother sat him in a chair in the kitchen and prepared to give her small son a haircut.
She combed the unruly locks into submission.
"Ouch!" Brian said.
"Sorry, dear, but you have some tangles."
"Ouch!" Brian said again. "Mo-om!"
"Almost through."
"Ouch!"
Brian glared at his mom.
"If you do that again, I'm going to have to say 'Sunny Beach'!"
His mother stopped combing. "What?"
"I'm going to have to say 'Sunny Beach'."
"What?" she asked again.
"Suunnny Beeeach," he said slowly and patiently.
Light dawned.
"You mean 'Son of a . . .'"
Her mouth popped open in horror.
She gripped his small shoulder. "Where did you hear that?!"
He stared at her, not understanding her panic.
She gave his shoulder a little shake. "Where did you hear that?!"
"That's what Unca Mark says when the cow kicks him!"
Two things resulted from that haircut.
1. Brian actually did get his hair shortened.
2. "Unca Mark' received a lecture on language and its proper uses. Oh! And . . .
3. I just realized that, when it came to cursing, my Dad didn't have a leg to stand on - or maybe a beach to lie on (see here).
It's a good world.
Sunny Beach works for me....it's not the words you use but the feeling behind them.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Forms of expression to . . . umm . . . express!
DeleteAs nephews and younger siblings go, Brian got Dad into a lot of trouble. There's a story about washing his hair that I plan on posting soon.
ReplyDeleteOh, I am looking forward to that one!
DeleteReminds me of that old joke, "Up until I left home, I thought my name was Son of a bitch."
ReplyDeleteBwahahahaha! Never heard that one!
DeleteI had heard Son of a Bitch all my young years--no clue what it meant. In 6th grade, my ornery brother told me to say it to the teacher as she sat at her desk. I did; she gasped. I realized it was the wrong thing to say. I thought fast. I told my brother said,"some of it itches'. She looked at him (in the same class), and knew.
ReplyDeleteMy brother never ceased to get me int trouble.
Ah. Brothers! I think that's why we have them . . .
DeleteI was lucky to grow up without any swearing influences in my home environment. Why, then, do I find myself wanting to swear now? (and sometimes doing it?) This scares me a little! Especially after spending a number of years around my dad's nursing home and hearing the proper little ladies with dementia swear a blue streak ... I have been attributing it to stress, but it still worries me ...
ReplyDeleteYikes! I know what you mean. My Aunt, one of those oh-so-proper little old ladies had dementia and wow! Could she swear! I don't think you need to worry. I think it's just a result of hearing those words all of the time in media. Even when we don't realize it . . .
DeleteI'm rather glad Brian heard Sunny Beach instead of son of a .....
ReplyDeleteSunny Beach from the mouth of a toddler sounds so cute.
Almost anything from the mouth of a toddler sounds cute. Scarily so! :)
DeleteWorks for me too!
ReplyDeleteLove it!
Love,
Chris
Yay!
Delete