monkeymom's Diaryland Diary
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You're welcome for that gift of life I gave you.
Is this a universal game that every person of every race and creed plays with their baby? It's the game where you lean forward, holding the baby in your arms and then drop your arms an inch or two and come to a sudden stop, to surprise the baby and (with luck) make the baby laugh.
When Karin and Kelly were here last week, Karin told me she plays "Saved Your Life" with the baby, and when I asked what that was, it turned out to be the game described above, only I called it "Oops! Dropped the baby!", and tonight at work I asked Larissa's Mother about it, and she said that she played it but she just said, "Whoopsie!".
I told Rachel about "Saved Your Life", and "Dropped The Baby" and asked her which one would be more traumatic for the baby. I was surprised that she thought "Saved Your Life" would be more psychologically damaging!
I thought that "Saved Your Life" implied that a parent would always be there as a safety net, therefore it would be reassuring, while "Dropped The Baby" suggests a careless parent.
Rachel thought that "Saved Your Life" puts too big a burden of debt on the child, requiring them to be more obedient to the parent because the parent has saved their life, where "Dropped The Baby" gives them the knowledge right from the start that the parent is clumsy and fallible, and they would have figured that out eventually anyway and get over it by the end of their teen years. So their therapy doesn't take as long?
So apparently I did my kids a favor by pretending to drop them when they were babies. Just one more thing they can be grateful for. You're welcome, guys.
Which reminds me that when Scott was still living at home, in high school, if I asked him to do something for me that he was reluctant to do, like laundry or getting me a pop with ice in it from the kitchen, I had a little ritual reminder that I would go through to urge him to do what I asked, since he owed me for his very life ! It went like this: "I carried you in my body for nine months and suffered through hours of agonizing labor to give you life, back labor buddy, and you can't get me a pop with ice in it?"
Scott heard it so many times he knew it by heart and could repeat it with me, or just mouth the words with a pissy look on his face ("Back labor, buddy, yes, I know, I'm getting you a pop.")and today I got an email from him saying that one of the other Elders was supposed to be writing an email about why he loved his mother and he asked Scott what he should say (and may I just pause here to say what an ungrateful little shit that guy must be if he has to ask someone what he should say about why he loves his mother!!) and Scott told him to say it was because she carried him in her body for nine months and suffered through hours of agonizing labor to give him life, back labor buddy! But the other Elder didn't appreciate the suggestion.
Obviously his mother didn't drill that one into him. Some women are not as skilled in motivating their children - or they don't want a soda bad enough.
2:07 a.m. - 2004-05-04
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