Have you ever stopped in midsentence and was hit with the realization that you sounded just like your Mom or Dad?
It is funny how certain phrases are carried from generation to generation, and no one really knows what it means. My mother was famous, in my mind, for her one-liners that she felt summarized the world around her. She was a simple farm wife that had her hands filled raising a family, gathering food, preparing food, and doing normal chores that needed her attention.
When mom would come in and announce, “It’s hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk!” you just knew it was really hot out. We never questioned “Why would anyone want to fry an egg on a sidewalk?” Let alone point out we had no sidewalk. We just knew it was a day that we would take cold water to Dad in the fields, and the least amount of clothing within decency would be required for that day. I now hear my children exclaim, “It’s hot enough to fry eggs on the sidewalk” and smile to think that there is proof that I did have some influence on my children.
At breakfast if mom said she was “redding” out drawers, you knew instantly that some of our valued treasures that were hidden in that massive jumble were in danger of never being seen again! You would dash and try to retrieve them before Mom would swoop in and throw them in the trash. Mom never “redd” out anything but drawers. She would “straighten” up the closet, “rearrange” the pantry, and “clean up” the toy room. I wonder why the drawers were chosen to be the ones to be “redd” out? I, too, only redd out the drawers, though a few closets definitely could use a redding out.
“Thingamajigs” had a special place in Mom’s vocabulary. We instantly knew what stray toy or abandoned piece of clothing she referred to as she instructed us to pick it up. When describing to my dad what she felt was wrong with the washing machine, thingamajig was used often and my Dad seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. I use “thingamajig” in reference to anything whose name has escaped me, which is more often as the years are added to my driver’s license.
Mom would explain that thunder was simply “God moving his furniture” and lightening as “God flashing on and off the lights,” which was something I loved to do. It calmed my fears and to this day I am not frightened in a thunderstorm. I somehow can still hear my Mom exclaim “Oh, God’s moving his furniture again.” Mom never explained why it always seem to rain when God was moving his furniture.
I wondered if there are words and phrases I use, that my children in turn inflicted on their children. It was confirmed when my daughter introduced the Christmas Fairy to my granddaughter. Let me explain.
As my three children would awake at the predawn hours of Christmas morning, I longed for more sleep because I usually didn’t get to bed until 3 a.m. due to finishing up wrapping the Christmas surprises. I needed a plan. The Christmas Fairy was born. I told my children that Santa had a fairy that accompanied him on Christmas Eve. After Santa had placed the presents under the tree, the Christmas Fairy would sprinkle her magic dust on the presents, and the articles inside would disappear. It would take sunlight to make them reappear. If anyone gazed upon the presents before the sun was up, the presents were gone forever! I reinforced this by unwrapping a present the night before and sure enough, there wasn’t anything in it. The Christmas fairy wasn’t all bad. She left a present outside the bedroom door which always contained new pajamas. These presents were to be opened and put on before you could view the tree. This solved the problem of Christmas photos with raggedy pajamas.
The first Christmas of the Christmas Fairy was so entertaining. My husband and I laughed as we heard the two older ones threaten the younger one with bodily harm if he should go into the living room before the sun came up. Needless to say, when the sun broke on the horizon, great screams of joy were heard. To this day, it is understood that presents aren’t opened until after the sun comes up, and the Christmas Fairy still leaves those pajamas by the door.
Here’s the Thing: What we say to and around our children is important. If forms a bond to situations and circumstances. When hearing certain words, you can be thrown back to a time that brings a smile to our face and warmth in our heart. Take care that the words you pass on don’t cause you embarrassment. With that thought, because I don’t want to fry eggs outside, I need to go redd out my drawers to throw out the thingamajigs that I don’t need.
———
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles written by a group of retired and current teachers — LaNae Abnet, Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Kathy Schwartz, and Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere. You may also voice your thoughts and reactions via The News-Banner’s letters to editor.
