Thursday, December 31, 2009
6:41 PM
The familiar pastel-colored Tupperwear bowls. My Granny Mom had them in every available color. Actually, almost all of her dishes were from Tupperwear because my aunt (her daughter) was a Tupperwear dealer for several years. We never had very many of their things at our house because my mom deemed them too expensive. I always liked eating and drinking out of them for some reason, though and so I loved that Granny Mom always used them when we visited. I specifically remember that she always kept ice cream in her freezer for us grandkids and on those unsettling nights when my parents would leave Bernie and me with her while they enjoyed a night out alone, she always dried my tears (at least for as long as it took me to eat it) by serving up a big Tupperwear bowl full of said tasty treat. Those bowls, which I THINK are still available today in one form or another, always remind me of my grandma who I barely knew, but loved anyway, simply because she was my dad's mom and my once-in-awhile caretaker.
Related: I did not like to be left with babysitters, even if the babysitters were family members or friends whom I loved. I used to get physically ill when my parents left me with other people, even for a few hours, and especially when they left me overnight. My grandparents were no exceptions to my babysitter aversion. I loved all of them but I was extraordinarily close to my mom and being away from her for any length of time was almost more than I could handle. Also, we had our own laid-back way of doing things at our house. There were no set bedtimes, the television played 24/7 whether there was anything on it or not, and Bernie and I were allowed to choose when and what we ate for meals and snacks. Staying with other people, especially people on my dad's side of the family meant a depressing visit in homes where there were fairly strict bedtimes, no parental playmates, meal plans that did not take into account my likes/dislikes at ALL, and a house that got way too quiet and boring, way too early in the evening. Just thinking about staying with my relatives brings that devastatingly lonely, depressed feeling back to me. I HATED it. Fortunately, my mom hated being away from us as much as we hated being away from her so she didn't allow my dad to make kidless plans very often.
One thing I did appreciate about my Granny Mom's babysitting habits was that she at LEAST kept a few random toys around, kept the aforementioned ice cream on hand, and was willing to stay up and watch television with us until we tuckered out and fell asleep on our own. I used to think she was pretty cool as far as grandparents go because she would stay up really late on Saturday nights watching "The Twilight Zone" and "Blob" movies with us. Other than our parents, we didn't know any other adult caretakers who were willing to do that. Granny Mom knew that I literally watched the door and and kept one ear on standby, waiting for any sign that my parents had returned to rescue me so she made the extra effort to keep me happy and occupied. I never really got to know her well enough to feel comfortable telling her that but I wish I had. Besides my dad, it was the one bond we had between us and I think she would have liked knowing that something as seemingly insignificant as dairy products and late-night television meant so much to me.
By the way, I mean no offense to my other grandparents in this post. I adored them and I knew them a little better than I knew Granny Mom because I saw them more often and, because they were my mom's folks. I have always been closer to my mom's side of the family. I just didn't like staying with my mom's parents because they were hard-working country people who didn't believe in playing, toys, doting on grandkids, watching television when the news wasn't on, or any of the other comforts to which I was accustomed. They also went to bed at dark and got up before sunrise everyday. Staying with them and trying to keep up with their lifestyle threw my whole emotional and physical equilibrium out of whack. LOL