Games

In my determination to write more (and subsequently stay sane) I have joined author Ann Dee Ellis in a memoir writing group. 3 days a week she gives prompts and then for eight minutes we write. Please feel free to join in! Here's my eight minute attempt today:
 photo 2012Ever_zps58380c7e.png
      Ever and Christopher in the little white boat off of Bainbridge Island, Washington 2012

Last night I played a game with Anson while snuggling to sleep. (How old until he stops requesting this service? I have awhile right?) It was a trivia game and because he's a bit competitive he would answer as fast as he could.

"Name an herbivore."

"What is Erin's middle name?"

"What's dad's phone number?"

"Name me a state you have been to outside of Utah."

"Who is running for the President of the United States?"

"Name a country where they speak Spanish."

Sometimes he would answer so fast his response would be ridiculous.

"What is dad's sister's name?"

"Aunt Feather..UGH...Heather."

Sometimes we would be laughing so hard we couldn't form questions or answers.

It became clear to me after while that this eight year old boy is picking up far more information than I give him credit for. It's not all about Ghostbusters--as his daily conversations would suggest. He's bright. He hears me talking to people. He listens. He's starting to pick up the pieces of our family story and put them together. And his memory is full of stories.

And then I asked him to tell me about a time he was happy.

"When we went to the ocean and we stayed at your cousin's house on that island and she let us borrow her little white boat. We drove out into the bay and saw this huge battleship. I wanted to see it close up so we got as close as we could. We ate snacks and had drinks. When Dad drove the boat really fast I hid behind a window in the front so the wind wouldn't blow on me because it made me cold."

He was four years old. Until our game last night I didn't know he was carrying that story around in the pockets of his memory all this time. And interesting to me, his memories covered almost all the senses.

Parenting is the best.




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