We're Different

You don’t need me to tell you your mom loves you.  She shows it.  We just fight sometimes because we’re different. 

Becca always liked the rules.  She always was the one who kept her room clean and told on whoever cussed or got their new shoes dirty.

Oh yeah, your mother was a snitch. 

When we were at school, if she saw me in the hallway with my shoes untied or shirt turned inside out or dirt in my hair, she would run over just to tell me how mad mom was gonna be and that she was gonna tell her.

And then she would.  Every time, that was her. 

So sometimes we still fight because she still tries to tell me how I shouldn’t sneak candy into movies or watch the neighbor’s Netflix or what job I could be doing or should be doing and how I could be a lot of things if I really tried.

We disagree.

We disagree but we love each other.

That’s what all people do though.  Even you guys. 

You’re all different and have your own ways.  Which is why you try to kill each other and why your Grandad has to scream, “HEY!!”,  to get you to stop.  When I scream, “HEY!!”, you just keep trying to kill each other.

But you love each other. We all do.

Our family does OK. 

GrayWheel

When your Mom married your Dad, I was there and I was younger.  I was 18 and I was faster and stronger than everything in the world; thats how you feel when youre 18.

At your parent's wedding I laughed and ate beef and danced with a bridemaid that  I had just met and never saw again.  Before they left, I told my sister, your mom, that she married an OK guy but that he gave her a bad name.  She went from "Rebecca Briar" , which sounds clean and perfect like a TV show character, to "Rebecca Graywheel" which doesnt sound like anyone.

'No Good', I told her.  But still, an OK guy.

So now Im old and Graywheel is your name now.  It works for you guys, I think.

Graywheel.

Maybe its growing on me.

We Did OK

Your mom and me, we did ok when were little like you. 

There’s three of you but there were only two of us so we fought a little bit more.  Actually, we fought a lot more.

There just wasn’t any room back then; the world was so small.  She was always in my way and I was always in hers, so we fought.  You kids have all the space now, plus there’s so much more to do.  You two young ones each have a tablet and Dominique just got a phone and you can watch any show without commercials.  Or you can play a million games or whatever.

When we were little, your mom and me, there were only three things to do:


Watch one of the 6 channels on TV until Mom made you turn it off.

Do something stupid outside.

Eat something.


  Since there were only three things to do, Me and Becca (Rebecca, your mom) we fought more than you guys, and we fought well.  Seriously, we made an art of it. You kids are amateurs.  One time I locked her out of the house for 2 hours while our parents were out shopping.  For real. I locked all the doors and the windows and didn’t let her in.  She had to break one of the old window sills with a stick and crawl back in and when she did, she Indian burned both of my arms and kicked my ankle until it bruised.  Then she snitched on me when our parents got back.  But I still got her and she never forgot it.  We had a lot of times like that.

Yeah, we fought but we did ok too.   We laughed and talked and did Mad-Libs and rode our bikes together sometimes.  Becca would even give me advice sometimes because she was older and that was her job.   We played Nintendo when our mom let us (which was hardly) and we watched a lot of the same TV shows on one of the 6 channels. Sometimes we didnt even love the show but we watched it together anyway.   That’s just how it was back then.

It’s Different Now

Make sure you guys find good friends to clown around with.

I miss clowning with my friends every day.  When you turn 30 you don’t get to do it as much. Sometimes not much at all. Everything changes.  Sometimes I’m with my friend on the phone and we have a good laugh for a little while but then his baby cries or one of you needs something or its time to go to work so that’s it. Time to go.

One time we laughed with tears for 45 minutes when Chris Cane tried to remember an old railroad song. He was doing some joke, one of his routines, and for the routine he needed to sing like he was a railroad worker. So, he starts singing this song that sounds like "I’ve been working on the railroad" but it isn’t "I’ve been working on the railroad." It’s just some stupid song because he can’t remember the real song. And we just lose it.

“Oh yeah, that classic railroad song!”

 “What are you singing right now?!”

"Bro, you don't know the words to 'Ive been Workin on the Railroad'?!!"

We just all lose it and laugh and laugh and I’m running around in circles. It’s the best.

I miss that.

Sometimes I see a video on YouTube of kids clowning. Playing SEGA and making fun of each other and running around in circles.  I laugh because that used to be us. But it makes me sad too.

 It’s different now.

Make sure you find good friends to clown with.

Crickets and Casey

“Lookit! Another bug!”, You said.

"Where?", I said

“There!  Look at that roach bug!”

“Girl, that’s a cricket.”

“Why there so many crickets at this house?!” You screeched and punched the couch. You were annoyed.

“Crickets are everywhere. They sleep under the dirt. Calm down.”  I say.

“I hate them!”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes! I hate them and Ill smash them!”

“Well, now I know where I’m gonna take you when you act bad.”

“Where?”

“I’m gonna put you underground with the crickets. You’re gonna sleep under there.”

“NO!”

“Yeah, I’m gonna take you and put you with the crickets.  Done.  That’s what I’ll do. You’ll live with them forever probably.”

Then you give me that funny look.

“ Better NOT put me with them crickets!” You smile a little.

“We’ll see.” I smile too.