adventures with mom
I never went on trips with my mom or my dad for that matter. My family was too poor when I was a kid to go to Disneyland or places like that. I don't think I ever realized that a lot of families took vacations so I didn't feel too bad about it. Besides, I did some pretty fun things with my mom that I bet a lot of daughters never got to do. I didn't even know I was poor till I grew up.
I worked in three different restaurants with my mom - we were waitresses. At one time my sister worked with us too. I got fired from the first restaurant because I asked for a raise from the 75 cents per hour I was making to a dollar/hour. "You are just like your mother", Anna, the owner told me. I went on to get a job in the kitchen of a hospital where I made $1.60. After a while, Anna begged me to come back but I never did.
I remember one time in the third restaurant, mom and I were working midnights. We went to the bar next door and bought beer and then had to close early. Yes we drank a bit - not something I am proud of but we did have fun and luckily no one got hurt. We had to close early that night because we just kept laughing and talking. Luckily it wasn't a very busy place.
Once when I was home for a weekend from college, my mom came up to my room and showed me a joint (do they even call them that anymore) and said "Is this marijuana?"I pretended to be innocent and said "I don't know". She said "Do you want to try it?". So we did. We ended up walking all over the small town and then over to the school yard where we swung on the swings and she laughed and laughed. She discovered that it helped her allergies so she started growing it in her bedroom window. When we moved her to the new place, we found a lot of seeds in her dresser drawers.
My mom was the worst housekeeper ever but that wasn't important to her. She knew that spending time with us was, and sometimes she, my sister and I would just sit and talk. Or we would go and visit grandma and have coffee with her. We took rides to look at the changing leaves.
When she got older, watching old movies and going to the casino made her happy. When I visited her, we got up and watched "The Today Show, and always the "Price is Right". Of course, we had to listen to Jan Tucker on the local radio station. She, who had little money, always slipped $100 in my purse that I pretended not to notice till I got home and then would call her and say "you didn't have to do that". But I knew she wanted to and would feel bad if I gave it back. It's just the way she was.
I don't think I missed out on anything by not going to Disneyland or other vacations. In fact, despite the issues both parents ended up having with alcohol, I consider my childhood happy. Growing up poor isn't bad if you are loved. Sure would like to have another chance to watch old movies with my mom again. But I am sure glad I did it. A few years ago when I visited, my sister said "I think we have a few more years of this left". And we did and they were good years for her - and for us.
I worked in three different restaurants with my mom - we were waitresses. At one time my sister worked with us too. I got fired from the first restaurant because I asked for a raise from the 75 cents per hour I was making to a dollar/hour. "You are just like your mother", Anna, the owner told me. I went on to get a job in the kitchen of a hospital where I made $1.60. After a while, Anna begged me to come back but I never did.
I remember one time in the third restaurant, mom and I were working midnights. We went to the bar next door and bought beer and then had to close early. Yes we drank a bit - not something I am proud of but we did have fun and luckily no one got hurt. We had to close early that night because we just kept laughing and talking. Luckily it wasn't a very busy place.
Once when I was home for a weekend from college, my mom came up to my room and showed me a joint (do they even call them that anymore) and said "Is this marijuana?"I pretended to be innocent and said "I don't know". She said "Do you want to try it?". So we did. We ended up walking all over the small town and then over to the school yard where we swung on the swings and she laughed and laughed. She discovered that it helped her allergies so she started growing it in her bedroom window. When we moved her to the new place, we found a lot of seeds in her dresser drawers.
My mom was the worst housekeeper ever but that wasn't important to her. She knew that spending time with us was, and sometimes she, my sister and I would just sit and talk. Or we would go and visit grandma and have coffee with her. We took rides to look at the changing leaves.
When she got older, watching old movies and going to the casino made her happy. When I visited her, we got up and watched "The Today Show, and always the "Price is Right". Of course, we had to listen to Jan Tucker on the local radio station. She, who had little money, always slipped $100 in my purse that I pretended not to notice till I got home and then would call her and say "you didn't have to do that". But I knew she wanted to and would feel bad if I gave it back. It's just the way she was.
I don't think I missed out on anything by not going to Disneyland or other vacations. In fact, despite the issues both parents ended up having with alcohol, I consider my childhood happy. Growing up poor isn't bad if you are loved. Sure would like to have another chance to watch old movies with my mom again. But I am sure glad I did it. A few years ago when I visited, my sister said "I think we have a few more years of this left". And we did and they were good years for her - and for us.
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