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Quote of the Day: Why is History Important?
It is beneficial that the next generation learns about the past for the same reasons that it is important that you remember your childhood. The quintessential question of “what next!” How will we as a society go into the future without knowledge of the past? If we don’t know what we, as Americans, are, how will we know what we will become?–Miss Peachy
The above was my 13-year-old granddaughter’s spontaneous written response to a question on a pop quiz given by her teacher on the first day of eighth-grade classes. It was the first in-person instruction she’d attended in about 18 months.
She can’t have been entirely gruntled by the experience, as at some point during that first day, she sent her mother the following text:
Gosh, I really love that kid. She makes my doddering old age embraceable and worthwhile. I relish the role of “Granny, Purveyor of Splendid Halloween Costumes,” (I only plagiarized part of that, @gldiii–ye whose moniker should be followed only by the words “Cat Thief.” You. Know. Why.) I love all the old lady, “granny” jokes. Well, the ones that are kindly meant, anyway: There are a few. And as I said in a long-ago post–something I realize is quite consonant with Miss Peachy’s “what’s next!” view of history–
Part of me wanted her to stay “little colander-head girl” forever. Part of me wants her never to grow up any more than she already has. Part of me can’t wait to see what kind of magnificent woman she grows up into, and what she does with her life. And I’ve come to understand that my favorite time with her is always the present, wherever, and whenever it is. The past, and the memories, are lovely. The future is exciting. But the present, and the gift, is now, and I’m going to enjoy every moment of it.
And so I do.
Signed,
A Proud Granny
Published in General
I love it.
There is hope for the next generation. Thank you for sharing.
She’s come a long way since (when she was about four) she and her mother had a knock-down, drag-out row about something or other, and Miss Peachy was sent, wailing, to her bedroom to cool off. The next day, her mother was making the bed when she found a crumpled and tear-stained piece of paper under the pillow with the words “I HAV A BAD MOM WONT LET ME DO WAT I WANT” written on it in very shaky capitals.
Did she run away from home? Or is that a boy thing? My brother did and at the time even I knew he was nuts.
She’s right about eighth grade.
They wanted me to repeat that one too. Can you imagine?
No. I think that, at least at a very young age, that probably is more of a boy thing. She liked to push the envelope, though. (In our family, a reasonable amount of that is considered to be a good thing.) I arrived one afternoon to find that she was in time-out on a chair in the corner, and I opened the door to hear her mother say, “you need to learn about boundaries and limits.” Peachy, who might have been all of three at the time, shouted “I DON’T YIKE BOUNDAWEES AND YIMITS!” All that got her was five more minutes in time-out.
By the time she was about ten, she was telling me that it was useless to whine around her mother, because her mother would simply tell her that whining acted like “spray on deafness for the rest of the universe.”
She’s a pistol. And so’s her daughter.
I want that set…
Oh stealing that. My youngest is in whine phase and I say something along these lines, but this is way better.
And your granddaughter sounds like my daughter. Tasmanian Princess.
Miss Peachy sounds like a genius. I’ve got seventy years and about thirteen years of schooling on her and I still can’t write a paragraph as sophisticated as the peachy quote with which you lead off your post. (Notice the fancy construction of my last seven words. I did that so that Miss Peachy, if this ever gets back to her, won’t think me an absolute dolt.)
And I’m stealing that! So we’re even.
Not a chance. Peachy would love you. (Especially if Bob the Dog were part of the deal….).
Lincoln:
I, too, have a 13-year old granddaughter who constantly delights me — except when she tells me how to drive!
That’s wonderful! I’ll pass that along to her.
Yikes. That’s scary….
I recommend the whole thing: https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/housedivided.htm
The speech is far better and more relevant than is popularly known.
Love this, thanks for sharing. I have been a MeMaw for about 2.5 years and I am about to be blessed with another in the next 3 weeks. What amazing gifts grandchildren are.
I love your granddaughter’s text; absolutely hilarious.