I ain't telling you nushin'.

I was a cute kid. I'm not afraid to admit that. Not quite sure what happened as I grew older, but I digress. Both of my parents have always worked full-time jobs. When Mommy Dearest's maternity leave was up, she had to arrange somewhere for me to go while she and Daddy were at work. Mommy Dearest is the youngest of nine children (but two of them died as children). When I was an infant, my Aunt Patty lived relatively close to us, which was about 30 minutes away, but the closest of any relatives. Aunt Patty kept me until I was old enough to go to school. She even kept me on afternoons after preschool until Mommy Dearest got off work. One particular day, I got in some trouble at preschool. (This was clearly not a one time thing, and I don't even know what I'd done to get myself into said trouble.) after hearing the report from my teacher, my Uncle David asked me about it and asked me what I was going to tell Mommy Dearest when she picked me up. My response? "I ain't gonna tell her nushin'." I was obviously a smart child. And obviously, the word nushin' has become a part of my family's vocabulary.

My Uncle David used to make my me and my cousins play the "quiet game" on long car rides. He had a different, and perhaps more accurate name for the game. He called it "1-2-3 shut mouth." I always lost. I know you're shocked.

In addition to. Ring a cute kid, I was also wise beyond my years. As I've mentioned before, I am an only child. Mommy Dearest dint have the easiest pregnancy and truth be told, I was a bit of a handful at times. In a good way. Let's pretend that's possible. My Aunt Patty took me shopping with her one day. Being an only child, I was used to having to entertain myself. I would talk to anyone/thing. I never met a stranger. (Probably not safe in retrospect, but I turned out ok and was never abducted. No harm, no foul.) somehow, I struck up conversation with an older man. Clearly, that was the normal thing for a 4-year-old to do.
Old Man: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Moi: No sir.
Old Man: Well, why not?
Moi: Because my Aunt Patty is too old, my Momma is too weak, and my Daddy is too bald-headed.

See? Told you I was cute.

(In case you were wondering about the nostalgia...my Aunt and Uncle are in town.)

Snuggles,
A