Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Saturday, June 22, 2013

Perilous Pasttimes

Or something similar . . .
I had just turned four and had recently discovered a new and wondrous activity.
Which I had to keep very, very secret.
Because for some reason, my Mom didn’t approve.
Weird . . .
I was a fresh graduate of the crib and had definitely moved on.
My new bed was a big, old, iron monstrosity with heavy bars forming the head and foot boards.
Did I mention big?
And old?
Well, both were appropriate.
It was about six thousand times the size of my old bed.
And a million times taller.
True story.
When my mom introduced us, we eyed each other distrustfully.
Okay, well, I eyed.
It just . . . sat there.
Looking huge.
Mom lifted me and set me on it.
I went very still. Then looked around.
The chenille bedspread was soft and neat.
I lay back. Hmm. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.
I stood up.
Wait a second. This bed was really . . . bouncy.
Really.
Bouncy.
Heyyyyy!
I started to jump.
Mom came back into the room and saw me. “Diane, don’t jump on the bed. You might hurt yourself.”
I stopped and sat down.
Mom bustled out again.
I looked at the bed. The big, soft bed. How on earth was it going to hurt me?
I stood up. Waited a moment to make sure she was gone.
Then started to jump again.
She stuck her head back inside. “Diane!”
I stopped. Man, she was good!
She picked up my laundry basket and headed for the kitchen.
I started to jump.
“Diane!” Warningly from the dining room.
Geeze. That woman was everywhere!
This time, I waited until I heard her doing things to the wringer-washer in the kitchen.
On the second bounce . . . “Diane!”
Okay, that was freaky.
I heard the washer go on. Ha! No way could she hear me now!
I bounced a really, really big bounce.
The biggest bounce of my very short career.
And bounced my nose right into the metal headboard.
Crunch.
You know that pause between the thump and the wail?
It takes that long to discover that one has been injured.
That said injuries hurt.
And to draw a great, big breath.
“Waaaahhhhh!”
Mom was there in a heartbeat.
Holding a cloth to a nose that was streaming blood.
Both from the business end.
And from the bridge, where it had been broken.
I have the scar, still.
There is a moral . . .
When Mom tells you not to do such-and-such because you might get hurt?
Believe her.

Just FYI.

15 comments:

  1. My youngest was a bed bouncer in spite of being told not to do it. Her bedroom was over the downstairs entry way. She and a friend once bounced so hard the hall fixture fell and broke. There was no denying that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Too right. Talk your way out of that one...if you can!

      Delete
  2. Haha so true! It's too bad we all have to learn the hard way.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You can always stop curly-haired kids from bouncing on the beds by putting Velcro on the ceiling. Trouble is, it doesn't work all that well with straight-haired kids.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Moms are ALWAYS right. That comes in handy when you're finally the Mom :)

    Oh, that must have hurt! I love how you say your mother was everywhere ... so true!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I try to tell MY kids that. They don't listen either.

      Delete
  5. I hear you...Mom always said to wear my slippers in the house cause I could hurt myself if I didn`t...well.....I still don`t wear slippers and occasionally I am reminded that she was right.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Yeah. Stepping one just one lego proved that mom was right on that one!

      Delete
  6. Mom's know best... it is hard to resist when you are having so much fun :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh your poor nose!! Lesson learned.
    I remember sleeping in a huge iron bedstead too, but I had to share it with my sister. And I had no interest in jumping. On the bed or anywhere else. Well, except for off the jetty into the water at the beach.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved that kind of jumping too! It's definitely easier on the nose!

      Delete

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