Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Somehow They Were Kept Safe

The other day I was looking through a box of photos...(No, I don't scrapbook, but I do have a box of photos. Does that count as scrapbooking? And Daughter #1 is even a Creative Memories consultant! How's that for irony?)...and I came across the photo you see here:

My goodness, is that really safe? Probably not. Luckily our first home was a single-story! You see, my husband was putting up our Christmas lights and thought it would be a great adventure for the kids to come up on the roof with him. I got out the camera and told everyone to say "Cheese." What were we thinking? The kids were so little then. I'm glad no one fell off! Somehow everyone was kept safe!


It brought to mind how, as a young mother, I was just wingin' it. I really didn't know what I was doing and somehow my kids came out ok. They were somehow kept safe too!

As a young mother, I was really good at teaching my kids the basics. You know, don't smoke, don't drink, don't steal, don't swear, don't lie, don't cheat, eat all your vegetables, if you can't say something nice don't say nothing at all. I think I had most everything covered. But I learned one day many years ago, that I had forgotten one! It was: Don't hitchhike!
(BTW, these are not my kids, it's just a picture I found online! This experience was NOT a "Kodak moment!")
~~~
I remember when Daughter #2 and my BabyBoy were about 6 and 9, I had just returned back to work full-time. The two of them had to walk about a mile each day to their elementary school. One morning Daughter #2 decided it would be fun to hitchhike to school! Luckily, no one picked them up. But being close to the school, there were many parents who saw these two little kids hitchhiking and called the police. Thank goodness they did!
I got a phone call that morning from the school office secretary. "Mrs. Love, we have your children here in the office safe and sound. You see they were picked up hitchhiking and Officer (so and so) has them and is giving them a good talking to." I was horrified! I asked the secretary if I could speak to them and she put Daughter #2 on the phone. I screamed, "What were thinking!" She said, "I'm sorry Mom, we just thought it would be fun. We didn't know it was wrong."
I'm glad my kids were kept safe and sound and that so many parents took the time to call the police. It was a lesson I don't think they ever forget. It was a lesson I FORGOT to teach! Don't forget to tell your kids not to hitchhike!

*******NEWS FLASH**************

Look at what I'm quilting today! Wouldn't you love to win this quilt? Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the finished quilt and I'll tell you how you can win it. (it's for a good cause, I promise!)
Now I better get back to work! Check back again tomorrow!

3 comments:

Patsy said...

Your Dos and Don'ts remind me when my children were little. It is amazing what they can remember about those times. Guess we did a pretty good job of keeping them safe.

BTW, the quilt you are quilting is beautiful, and your quilting is outstanding.

I wonder if we might share an ancestor, BTW. My maiden name was Love. Email me if you want to share way back when my ancestor Elizabeth Love married a Smith in IL and moved to Utah.

Featheronawire Sally Bramald said...

Same things for my DD. I was horrified when she went to university she did a sponsored 'hitch' from the SW of England to Dublin, Ireland. It was organised, they were in groups of threes with at least one boy but even so....
How old do they have to be before you can stop worrying about them?
Currently she is in Belize snorkelling with sting rays and sharks!! I never had that one on my list of things not to do. She is only 19.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Wow - that is just gorgeous. You did good...