Saturday, October 13, 2007

baby baby baby BABY baby

i know it's incredibly difficult to fully get the effect of the title here. for whatever reason, i absolutely loved that line when reese witherspoon says that to joaquin phoenix as june carter/johnny cash in "walk the line".

annnyway....

it's times like these i come back to remembering how i'm the baby of the family.
when i meet someone, inevitably over time, it comes out about my large family and my number order. most of the time, for whatever reason, if the person is older than me, they'll ask: "oh--- so, you're the baby??"
and i am QUICK to reply/respond/retort: "no. i'm the YOUNGEST"
and, we all can guess the next line, yes? "well, you'll always be their baby."

and this i know. for all the world tells me so. and have ever since i started to rebuke/rebel/resist.

mainly, it was my dad who would introduce me as his baby. (insert my insistence here). it was an ongoing "battle". it was our thing, i guess.
i don't know when it started, but i have quite a few memories of my mom introducing me and stutter at baby, and claim me as her youngest. [victory!]

then, 6 months after i got married, my father passed away.
and from then on, my mom & i simultaneously ignored the "youngest rule" and when i was called the baby, i allowed it. and fondly.
somehow, i guess it was just intrinsically understood.

but now, it's been a year (!) that my mom passed away.
and it's been creeping up on me lately-

i miss being their baby!!

2 comments:

Lainey-Paney said...

(((HUGS)))

...I've always loved being the "baby". I loved the word, the title, the implications. I loved it.

Unknown said...

I loved being the baby, too. Cause even 60 days from turning 30? I'm still my dad's little girl. I'm sorry for your loss & totally understand your reclaiming your baby status.