Did We Forget Anything? 06/23/23

KEVIN!!!!!!!!!! That was Catherine O’Hara’s famous reaction when she realized she forgot to take her son Kevin with them, leaving him Home Alone. It’s a funny movie, but it very well could happen. Think about it. The littlest member of your family (John and I are both proud, recent grandpas) requires the most luggage. Car seats, pacifiers, stuffed animals, drawing boards, books, clip-on seat for restaurants and rental units, foldable playpen/crib, snacks, bottles, toys…oh, and did we mention diapers and wipes?

The other thing is that the most precarious time for a kid is when multiple people are watching him/her. You relax because in the back of your mind you know your partner or another relative has your back. I am reminded of a trip to Galveston, Texas, about 32 years ago. We took our young family to visit the family of one of my wife’s brother’s. We were sitting around the apartment complex swimming pool. Between the two families we had both sets of parents and 4 kids. There was an inner ledge, about a foot down, to rest your feet on when you were sitting on the pool deck, dangling your legs in the water. We’re talking, laughing, having a good time, when my brother-in-law Buzzy, says, “Better watch Greg,” who was about 2-years old at the time. He was walking on the aforementioned ledge and I hadn't even noticed, assuming my wife Joanie was watching. One step later, he fell into the pool without making so much as a peep. I instantly dove in and scooped him up underwater and when we surfaced, he was laughing. If my memory serves me well, he said something like, “Again,” like it was the most fun game in the world. So before we judge Sam and Shellie too harshly, it could happen to anyone. Maybe not anyone, but it certainly happened to me.

In fact when John and I were discussing this idea, I initially pushed back, saying “C’mon, no one would really forget about their kid,” before remembering that I did exactly that in Texas. Then there was the time my dad lost my son (the one and only Greg) when he was about 4, in a drug store. But I’d prefer to forget about that one. Or the time my wife and I forgot to lock the stroller carrying our baby daughter Ali, when visiting a friend. We watched in horror as the stroller proceeded to kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk, kerplunk down the 4 steps leading to our friend’s townhouse. Fortunately, as they say on many a sports telecast, “Nobody got hurt.” John himself had his son Jake hide in the middle of a department store circular coat rack. What a fun place to crawl into and hide, right?

So to all our children, whether we forgot you or lost you, we still love you. And thank heaven you’re still here. Oh and one other thing, when it becomes your turn (as it is for both of our daughters who are coincidentally both named Ali) to become parents, you’ll see. We promise.

Enjoy the first official weekend of summer (it’s supposed to rain all weekend here in NY) and we will see you again next week with two new ones.

Andy and John