my favorite childhood story

for most of my life i considered my stubbornness and detachedness a clear and direct result of the circumstances that make up my life. and then i am reminded of this story.

i was 2 or 3 maybe and my father was doing the dishes (as he did every night). i, of course, wanted to help so i dragged over the green stool that lived in our kitchen and begin to climb up. my father, trying to be helpful and all around generally nice, because he was, lifts me up and sits me on top of the stool. this angered my entire toddler body and i climb down and then back up. i could do it myself and didn't want any help.

so, the lesson here is that it is just who i am. don't help me. it's not that i don't appreciate it or consider the help, well, helpful - it's just that i must do everything, EVERYTHING, the hard way. i just really enjoy challenges, or it at least appears that way.

i don't know why but that is, by far, my favorite story from my childhood. the second would have to be when my sister was born (i was 3) and we went to the hospital. i do not remember this of course, but i am told we were peering thru the big window at all the new born babies and they were crying - wouldn't you be? - and i said 'they want they mommas'. how cute is that?