This evening, I was sitting outside the gymnastics room at the Y
waiting for my seven-year-old's class to be over. Another woman
and her preteen daughter were also waiting for the class to end.
The gymnastics room is right next to the lone racquetball court.
Shortly before the end of the gymnastics class, three men came over to
play racquetball. One of them was eyeing the other woman, like he
recognized her. Apparently he did:
Man: Did you go to [local high school]?
Woman: Yeah.
Man: Is your name Jennifer**?
Woman: Yeah.
Man: Don't you remember me? I used to be your partying buddy!
Woman: I partied too much. Maybe that's why I don't remember you.
Man: It's me! Bobby Wheeler! I can't believe you don't remember!
Woman: Oh. Yeah. Bobby. You look like you've lost some weight.
Man: Actually, I've gained 40 pounds over the past year.
Woman: Gonna play some racquetball?
Man: Yeah. See ya.
He joined his buddies, and the woman said to her daughter, "I still don't have any idea who he is."
The really fun part was listening to "Jennifer" try to find a delicate way to explain to her
daughter how/why she didn't recognize "Bobby" without actually saying,
"I drank and did so many drugs back in high school that I barely
remember attending."
**Names have been changed, obviously.
Eilan posted on Feb 18, 2008
| views: 153
Comments
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Fallyn said on Feb 18, 2008....
i would find it would be a good teaching opportunity..........see...if YOU do this many drugs and drink this much...then you won't remember people 15 years after high school either. -
Eilan said on Feb 19, 2008....
Fallyn: I don't think this mom was quite ready to admit to her daughter that she'd been so wild in her younger days. -
Fallyn said on Feb 19, 2008....
probably not. i think most parents would find that if they admit their mistakes....show their kids how it affected them....then maybe the kids might not make the same mistakes.
but...i may be wrong.
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Zayda said on Feb 19, 2008....
See, I would think it would be a teaching opportunity too Fallyn, but I suspect that some parents simply don't want their kids to know they are fallible (or human) until they reach a certain age.
You know, I somehow think it's probably better if kids know that we make mistakes even when they are young.
Eilan--I think I would have had a hard time keeping a straight face as I listened to the mother try to not reveal why she couldn't remember the guy. -
silverwhisper said on Feb 20, 2008....
eilan: i do have to wonder just how well "bobby" knew "jennifer", to be honest... :D
ed -
Eilan said on Feb 20, 2008....
Fallyn: I don't disagree, but I'm wondering how young is too young for a child to know about a parent's past. The girls who was sitting with her mom was probably no older than 12 or 13.
Zayda: It was kinda funny. Fortunately, I hid behind a book.
ed: Ya know, I hadn't even thought of it that way!
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queenparanoia said on Feb 22, 2008....
heheheh funny story... =)
Comment on "Overheard at the Y"
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