childhood

16 Things I’ve Learned

Do you ever find yourself still doing things you learned as a kid? Habits you can’t break or memories of first lessons learned? I don’t know why but some of these I think about every now and then- especially if it’s some routine thing that I do every day. And probably weirdest of all is that I remember exactly where I was and who taught these things to me. Here are some special ones:

  1. I learned to add ice to my milk In elementary school from Tabitha Ravine.
  2. I learned to put an extra or partially used tissue up my sleeve if I didn’t have a pocket from my mom.
  3. I learned that other people can hear you when you hum. Here, I thought I was the only one enjoying that humming of a tune in the circle I sat in during Mrs. Zimmerman’s kindergarten class.
  4. I learned to brush my tongue when brushing my teeth from the Rosie O’Donnell show.
  5. I learned to gently pull the loose hairs from my eyebrows to – I forget what word she used- thin them out from my Government teacher 🙂
  6. I learned to clean my contacts on the back of my hand at Camp Bethany from Carly Cronin.
  7. I learned that my fingers are doubled jointed from doing weird finger tricks with my childhood babysitter Angie.
  8. I think I taught myself to make 5 waves in my tongue.  I don’t think anyone else was a part of that nonsense.
  9. I learned how to wiggle my nostrils from my dad.
  10. I learned how to cross my eyes in weird ways from my dad.
  11. I learned how to wiggle my ears from my Uncle Frank. That’s cause I couldn’t jiggle my eyeballs like he could his. Ears were easier.
  12. I tried to learn how to wiggle my nose like Samantha from Bewitched, but nostril flexing was the best I could do.
  13. I learned to take bites from this and that on my plate and not to eat one thing at time so I can enjoy all of it while it’s still warm from my Great Grandma Bowers.
  14. I learned to cup my hand to my mouth and say “Girl girl girl girl” really fast over and over to have a really strange noise be made from Katie Frey.
  15. I learned the “f” word from my childhood neighbor Tasha across the street and asked my mom what it meant. I was promptly sent to my room, Tasha’s mom was promptly called, and the Tasha didn’t speak to me for a month.
  16. I learned that stomping on a boy’s foot for cutting in line will send you and that boy (Kyle Krisco) right to the chalkboard for recess in Mrs.Halterman’s first grade class. With violence, nobody’s a winner.