Life in These United States- Joe Stories submitted way back when to Readers Digest…
While celebrating our son Joe’s 23rd birthday , the three of us sat and lingered over photo albums of our early years together and recalled some of his first auspicious and comical pronouncements. Engrossed in a political conversation with friends around the kitchen table in our first home , we concluded that short-sighted solutions merely postpone and complicate problems for future generations to face. I turned to our 2 ½ year old sitting in his high chair and asked rhetorically , “What do you think about that Joe?” He replied instantly, “De trufe (the truth) is de trufe!” We of course laughingly agreed.
At one inopportune moment or another, every married couple’s intimacy is interrupted by their offspring. We were quite surprised when the supposed–to–be–sleeping Joe pushed open our closed bedroom door. His eyes widened seeing us together; his pacifier popped out of his mouth and quizzically he exclaimed, “What you are doing?!” Recovering our composure and pajamas , with reassurance, tenderness and giggles we pulled him into bed with us for a hug, a tickle and a “We love each other and you…”
“Just say no!” was originally the slogan of two-year-olds in their struggle for autonomy vs parental control. In one memorable battle of wills and words Joe’s rejoinder to our
ultimatum was , “No, you stupid!” After a non-abusive pat on the posterior ( child rearing?) and a time out in his bedroom, I gently but firmly reminded Joe that he could not call us “stupid”. “Do you understand?”, I asked. With tears in his eyes and complete sincerity in his voice Joe asked, “Well can I call you jerk?” “No”, I said holding back the laugher and the language lesson for later, “Just call me Papa”…
submitted August 6 ,1993
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