Making Memories

I was thinking today about an interview I watched with Jay Leno a few months ago and forgive me, but I don’t remember who the guest was, but her stories were hilarious. She was talking about her dad and how he was a very eccentric and crazy father who would constantly embarrass her and her sister, and when he would do this, he would just shrug and say, “making memories,” and then laugh. For some reason this interview came to mind this evening and I started to think a bit about my own childhood and the embarrassing situations that came about. For instance, take the winter of ’88. That fall my grandmother handed down her barely used winter boots to me, which I took because I felt bad saying no. Well anyway, they were horrible. Big and brown with a weird wedge rubber heal. Actually they would totally be in style now, but anyway, my mom decided that I didn’t need new boots that winter because I had a perfectly good pair from Grandma Pat. I was so upset. I remember crying every time she made we wear those ugly boots to school. I would sneak a different pair of shoes into my backpack and switch on the bus or if I got dropped off I would run as fast as I could into the school, hide behind the drinking fountain, throw them in my bag and change so no one would see them. Now, when I think back to that winter in the fifth grade, I laugh and think to myself “making memories.” So you parents, take my advice when you are embarrassing or making your kid do something they really don’t want to do, just tell them “making memories, sweetie, making memories,” and I am sure that will make it all better ; )