A stroll down memory lane: a few of my favorite things
June 24, 2015
I’d been reminiscing about my mom, and even though there are some material things I cherish, the clearest, most important memories were more about how she was a great person and an amazing example for an awkward and introverted little kid.
Naturally, I think some activities are worth the money (traveling, learning new cultures, learning that the world is a big place, delicious foods), but I tend to be heavily biased toward the kind of childhood things that money can’t buy.
My Favorite …
Childhood birthday gift: my first and very own piggy bank from my older cousins. I still have it and will probably pass it on to LB.
Adulthood birthday gift: everything PiC picks. But if I had to choose just one, it’d be the Tiffany necklace he picked. I never would have picked it myself because it was extravagant and unnecessary. But if I were to pick something from their catalog, this was the one piece that would have made the cut. It was a cute pendant, in a shape I liked, and fairly low-priced for a Tiffany piece.
Food: Pho. Spring rolls. Cheese. Bacon. Pasta. Bread. Bartlet Pears. Prosciutto. Carnitas. I can’t do this one.
Travel Destination: Italy. Eating in Italy. Probably all of it. Send me to explore the rest of it to be sure!
Person: PiC. LB is a close second but we have to wait and see if ze becomes a human we respect and like, as well as love automatically as hir parents.
My Favorite Memories
Elementary school: my parents’ sticker system. We could earn stickers from school for doing various good things. Every 10 stickers we brought home could be redeemed for a small slurpee from the 7-11 down the street. I drank a lot of slurpees.
Poker face:Â Mom used to say she could read me like a book. As I got older, she explained that while this worked well for her as a parent, it wouldn’t be good for me in the outside world if strangers could read my mood and therefore manipulate me. That’s when it clicked that she wasn’t telling me I couldn’t have emotions or opinions, just don’t project them! I finally mastered the blank-neutral face a year before she died.
Temper, temper: Tempers are a family legacy but Mom firmly believed that we could overcome almost any genetic flaw. It took years for me to learn to quit letting my temper lead the way.
I have skills?: Cousin G taught both my sibling and I the art of manipulating yarn. He got crocheting lessons and I got knitting lessons.
Love thy face: Mom discouraged the use of makeup early on. She didn’t disapprove of it, she used it regularly herself, she just preferred that I didn’t make it a habit before I was 16 or so. She used makeup in an era when the ingredients weren’t always kosher and could contain dangerous bleaching chemicals to achieve the complexion smoothing or whitening effect that many ladies sought. Until and unless I could afford good quality makeup, she cautioned, it was best not to risk my skin. Besides, if I became too used to always wearing a full face, it could be hard to appreciate my normal unadorned face. This made enough sense that I never got into makeup during those early years when experimental (and often bad) makeup was expected and now I just don’t wear it because I lack the basic skills. *shrug* Someday I’ll learn.
I love this! <3
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<3
I love that LB isn’t automatically #1! I mean that seriously. Too many people become parents first and partners second. Sounds like you’re finding a good balance.
Not quite Tiffany-level, but Tim got me a lovely Coach purse for Christmas. It holds a lot of stuff, it’s a lovely eggplant-purple and… I love it. I told him to not get me anything that expensive again for a loooong time. But I use it almost every time I go out.
Abigail @ipickuppennies recently posted…Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt
agreed – I kinda want to be one of those couples whose biggest love is for each other.
I honestly can’t really think of any ‘things’. Lots of food and travel memories though.
NZ Muse recently posted…But HOW do they afford it?
It can be done! Also food + travel memories absolutely qualify. I just couldn’t list those because this post wouldn’t end til next week.
Yeah, it’s easier (I think) to remember we are the adult partners in this together because LB is a whole other level of responsibility and not self sufficient. So we take solace in each other when the day to day gets really hard. I just do not understand those parents who view the child as the only priority to the exclusion of their partners – that sounds like it makes life ten times harder.
Since my Tiffany piece was one of the cheapest, I figure your purse actually ranks higher 😉
Oh my gosh my parents did the sticker system thing too! Except they did it with stamps. I wonder if it is an Asian parent thing?
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Well now we have to take a poll ….
I remember coming home from school and my mom having a plate full of little snacks for my sister and I to munch on. It probably explains why I still LOVE snacks to this day and always pack a ton in my lunchbag for work. Well, it also has to do with me working 9-10 hr days from time to time.
I remember family trips to places such as DisneyWorld and Montreal.
I also remember going to friends’ bday parties, playing games and getting excited for loot bags. 🙂
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Snacks: The busy person’s lifesaver!
I always wondered how old kids had to be to remember a trip to something big like DisneyWorld.
<3 this post.
🙂
Love! I think I would be THAT aunt that gives her nieces/nephews piggy banks for their birthdays, haha!
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It’s the best gift! If you toss in a $5 bill (for the younger set), it’s the BEST best gift 😉
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