Saturday, October 25, 2008

Back When I Liked 'Em

My two middle children ages 16 and 18 have ever been a source of amusement, bemusement and confusement.. I am sure once they reach adulthood they will remain fast friends, that is assuming they don't kill each other before that.

I am convinced that these two are in fact one person. Cori is a funny witty dreamer with a sense of loyalty that goes bone deep and Frankie is a pessimistic, logical hard head that if she can't see it, taste it or touch it, it can't be real and yet inside of her beats one of the biggest hearts on the planet. Cori has ADHD and is a bit immature (fortunately that is something we all outgrow) and Frankie was born practical and self sufficient.

As children they could play together for hours in silence then break out into huge knock down drag out scream fests, as teenagers well it is pretty much the same. Except the arguments are meaner and hurt me more (not them they just blow it off).But because these two are so wonderfully close and right on the brink of leaving me to go off on their own grand adventures I wanted to share a favorite memory of mine.

It was summer 1996 right after the Atlanta Olympics, remember the magnificent 7? remember Kari Struggs? her fantastic jump into history and Bella Karoyli running after her and collecting her. Carrying her about for the rest of the time? Well my two crazy kids were playing in the living room one day.. Frankie (4) would run across the room and do a rather interesting form of a cartwheel and collapse to the ground. Then Cori (6) would dash over pick her up and help her hobble to the sofa. Amazed I watched having absolutely no clue as to what they were doing. When I finally asked.. they looked up at me with shining faces and brilliant smiles and said "we're playing Olympic Gymnast mommy" I laughed until tears fell down my face, watching these two clever children with their unique perspective on things.

And as I watch them now, I think of this and smile


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