Double Digits

I can hardly believe it. Carmen is 10. Double digits. I remember how exciting it was when I turned double digits so I wanted to do something a bit different for her to mark the milestone.

She didn't have any gift ideas other than books so I decided to buy her 10 smallish things, all wrapped separately and numbered, and have a little verse for each to guide her from one to the next. Here's how it went:

1) You have always stood out in a crowd

Cuz you’re bright and sweet and kind.

This gift will make you stand out more

As it’s the brightest that you’ll find!

(2 neon t-shirts)

2) This monstrous thing is helpful

Not a little fright,

It will help you safeguard

The masterpiece you write.

(a flash drive that looks like a monster)

3) Pretty girls like pretty things

That she wraps or twirls or ties,

This is something pretty that

You use to accessorize!

(scarf)

4) We know that you love music

But ear bud wires are a pain

Always tangled or missing--

THESE won’t drive you insane.

(retractable ear buds)

5) If you want to be a writer

You have to follow every rule

This will help you be your best

And write something very cool.

(grammar book)

6) It’s never fun to hear us yell

“It’s time to go to bed”

And now even before your chapter’s done

You’ll know how far you’ve read.

(fuzzy character book mark)

7) The possibilities are endless

As there’s no such thing as pairs;

Left or right, striped or bright

It’s great cuz no one cares!

(mix-and-match socks)

8) I am sorry to drag you to the rink so I gave you something to make it more fun. Happy birthday! Love Ben

(a to-go mug and a book)

9) It’s fun to read a story

About someone just like you

Here’s a book that fits the bill

Cuz the heroine is TEN too!

(book called "Ten")

10) It may be a year early

But you’re off to your new school

And now you’ll have the uniform

And will be looking VERY cool.

(a Harry Potter acceptance letter with a Gryffindor t-shirt)

She had so much fun opening each one and fitting the gift to the poem. And it was fun to watch her enjoy the attention. 

She's growing up so quickly and while this birthday reminded me of that fact, it also highlighted how young she is too. Ten was a fun one! Happy birthday Carmen!!

Parental Pearls

There are so many things I never imagined I’d ever hear myself say. It’s amazing what having kids does to a person! Here are a few nuggets that I had to shake my head at even before they were completely out of my mouth:

Stop licking my arm.

I’m not going to start reading again until you take your hands out of your pants.

Don’t ride the dog.

Please take your underwear off your head.

I trust you when you tell me your poop is giant. I don’t need to see it. Go flush.

Armpit farting isn’t music.

What did you think would happen when you kept sticking your butt in his face?

I can’t tell you what schools were like 100 years ago. How old do you think I am?!

Don’t eat on the toilet!

I’m not a jungle gym so stop climbing me.

When I was your age, I had to……

What did you just wipe on my shirt?

Don't shove that in your nose!

I’m not sure where the Ken doll’s penis is….maybe he’s just wearing really tight flesh-coloured underwear.

Medals

Carmen had a school assignment to find a “family treasure” that she could share with the class. She had to tell them what it was, what it was used for, if it is still used the same way today, what it was made out of, why it is important in our family etc. We don’t have much that would fit that bill.

All I could think of was my grandfather’s war medals. He served as a scout and mechanic in World War II and when he died my mom found the medals, his old service and pay book, a guide to London given to Canadian soldiers, and some war-era Francs.

I borrowed them and set out to help answer Carmen’s questions. It struck me that I knew very little about this man. I knew he had been injured after driving over a bomb and recovered in Europe only to return to fight the rest of the war. I knew he met my grandma in England while she was working at a munitions factory in Birmingham and she came over the pond after it was all over as a war bride.

I also knew that he brought the war home with him. The enthusiastic man my grandmother must have met earlier in the war was long gone by the time they returned to Medicine Hat to start their lives together. He couldn’t deal with what he saw and did during those terrible years and turned, like many soldiers, to the bottle to cope. My grandma endured the abuse for as long as she dared and then divorced him for the sake of herself and her daughters.

I remember meeting him only once when I was quite young. It was tense and awkward for everyone involved and I was happy to get out of his small apartment. Now that I’m an adult, I wish I would have known more about his life and experiences, known more of my family history. We answered Carmen’s questions (with the help of Google) but for me so many are left unanswered.  Sadly, there’s no one left to ask.