Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Is it to Much?

So today my friend Ashley came over. I have known her for a very long time, decades, since the bicentennial, from when there were phones that plugged in the wall with curly cords. Love her long time.

So here's the deal. My kids love my friends. Especially my friends that have been around since the dawn of time. Every other summer I take my daughter to see my oldest best friend in Istanbul. She loves her like another super cool Mom. But better. One of her many very favorite parts about being with BA is the stories. Stories that are told of us when we were kids. One of her very favorites is about how one time when we were about 12 we stole her dad's cigarettes. We took the pack behind their house and tried to smoke them. They were gross. We tossed the pack. We got home and there was some reason her dad couldn't go out. He wanted those cigs man. Apparently they were his last pack. He asked if we took them. Of course we said no. He said as nice as he could possibly grit through his teeth, "Are you sure you haven't seen them?" "No, of course not, " we answered. Then he started to get ticked. "Listen," he said, "You aren't going to be in any trouble. I will never tell Mom, just give me the cigarettes." The cigarettes were long gone by this time. We had nothing to offer. He stomped off in a nic fit and we went down into the basement and rocked it out to , "I'm Coming Out."

This is a story my daughter has heard more than once. Is that wrong?

In comes Ashley. Crazy, unfiltered Ashley. Who btw I am hoping to put a video up of because if you could hear her imitating her 95 year old grandmother who just thinks Ashley is just a nutcase you would fall on the floor laughing. She sounds like the mother from "Throw Momma From the Train." I swear to God, it is so funny it must be shared. Ashley can imitate it perfectly and imitate herself talking to Victorine. For some reason she is inclined to defend herself and bicker with her, which just adds to the insanity, but thankfully for us, also adds to the humor of the whole situation.

At any rate, back to the point at hand, as if there ever was one. So Ashley is here. My son considers her "his." He loves her. He doesn't want to do anything but talk to her. Listen to her stories, which are plentiful and hold on to her. For real. He's always loved her but now she is here for good. It's a good thing... Until she starts to go into the "when we were kids" stories too. God, listening to my friends talk, we were kinda bad (not really Mommy) I'm not sure if it's a good idea my kids hear these stories. I don't want to give them any additional ideas... Thoughts friends?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just remind the kids that the moral to each wonderful story is:

"See my darling innocents, I've been there, done that. In fact, my friends and I invented it, all of it. You will never, and I mean never, get away with anything. So don't even try to out do my stunts. Just keep being the sweet, well mannered, little angels that you are. Remember, I know people. Kapeesh?"

I think that this will set the right warm and fuzzy, looking back through rose-colored glasses tone for any of those delightful tales.

Sue Jacquette said...

Cheers to our newest cast member!

Anonymous said...

Remember yesterday's post? Your kids so totally know that you like tricks of one kind or another...always have and always will. They also know you appreciate the same fabulous quality in others. AND, you know they're gonna come up with their own schemes. So I say, tell it all. They'll have a chance of not repeating stunts with undesirable outcomes and you'll cultivate an appreciation for high quality shenanigans - we wouldn't want any run-of-the-mill, stoopit stuff, right?

Lula! said...

My FAVORITE times spent with my family in Mississippi were when my mom and her 2 BFFs (who have been her BFFs for 55 years!) would sit & tell stories from their childhood and teen years. But they waited to tell the good stuff until I was older...probably 14 or so. So...I say just filter and screen. Or explain away. Regardless, your kids will love it. And when they are 34, like me, they'll still be talking about their funny "mom growing up" stories.

Simple Answer said...

Perhaps just a small bit of censorship? You know, just the stuff that can be used against you in the future.

Lora said...

I knew almost everything about my parents through their friends and even my grandparents. It actually made me realize they were real people who knew what was going through my mind.

I agree with Kathy S.

Wep said...

It's good for your kids to know you're real. I'm that funny friend to most of my friends kids. I did ok until I mentioned that a character on the Wii looks like a Pimp named Slickback.

Yeah, 6 months later, and some wordsmithing and my friend kid is STILL talking about a Pip named Slimpback.