A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer & soon invited him to live with our family.
The stranger was quickly accepted & was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche.
My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, & Dad taught me to obey.
But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries & comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present & seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, & he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, & she would go to the kitchen for peace & quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.
Profanity was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with 4-letter words, burning my ears & making my dad squirm & my mother blush.
My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis.
He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, & pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, & generally embarrassing...
I now know my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.
More than 50 years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in & is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk & watch him draw his pictures.
His name?..... We just call him 'TV.'
(Note: This should be required reading for every household!)
He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer'.
Their first child is "Cell Phone"
Second child "I Pod".
And JUST BORN A FEW YEARS AGO WAS a Grandchild: IPAD.
OH MY----HOW TRUE THIS IS!!!
The stranger was quickly accepted & was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche.
My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, & Dad taught me to obey.
But the stranger... he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries & comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present & seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, & he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, & she would go to the kitchen for peace & quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them.
Profanity was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with 4-letter words, burning my ears & making my dad squirm & my mother blush.
My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis.
He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, & pipes distinguished.
He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, & generally embarrassing...
I now know my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave.
More than 50 years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in & is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk & watch him draw his pictures.
His name?..... We just call him 'TV.'
(Note: This should be required reading for every household!)
He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer'.
Their first child is "Cell Phone"
Second child "I Pod".
And JUST BORN A FEW YEARS AGO WAS a Grandchild: IPAD.
OH MY----HOW TRUE THIS IS!!!
