Pithy Mom and Daughter Story

I was the only child for the first 7 years of my life; so if one or both of my parents were around I believed it necessary to be the center of their attention. 

One day my dad came home early from work. My mom was clearly surprised and they were chatting behind my back, not paying me any mind. Well I wasn’t having that so I began histrionically laughing to draw their attention to me. The gusto I put into this display made me slip into the little, clear creek I was fishing in with a stick. The water was a bit chilled and only went to my ankles, but the worst part was that my shoes and socks were soaked. I panicked and began wailing once all the sensations were absorbed, I was drowning. I quickly realized I could just step back onto dry land, but it was my parents’ fault for not including me in their grown-up conversation so their punishment was me, their only begotten child, drowning and being swept away by the barely bubbling current. I was quickly rescued and taken inside. Shoes and socks at the door of our two bedroom apartment and me sitting on the edge of the tub with my feet in lukewarm water sobbing, my whole body in convulsions as I gasped for air. It was a scene. “Mommy, are there sharks in that water?” My 3 or 4 year old brain tried to wrap my head around the severity of this near death experience. She said no, that sharks live in salt water, which I knew about because Grandma Doris and Granddaddy Bunk live on the sound. Then she took a brief tangent to talk about freshwater sharks, but how they are still too big for the creek. 

Despite my annoying, childlike behavior, and affinity for drama she took care of me. She didn’t scold me for doing kid stuff, she put my feet in warm water and told me not to worry about my wet socks. How my momma handled that situation sticks out in my head because she didn't patronize me for all the staginess, she made me feel safe to be just me to react the way I knew how and to let my little brain process and learn the way it should.

(me, my mom, and my cousin; look at all my hair)