(My father is an identical twin. When both he and his brother were in the military and my uncle was visiting, I was about two. My mother and I had an interesting conversation.)
Mom: *pointing at my uncle* “Who’s that?”
Me: “That’s Daddy!”
Mom: *pointing at my father* “Who’s that?”
Me: “Two daddies!”
(I’m sure it seemed reasonable to me at the time.)
(My mom does a lot of charity work, and I occasionally get to help her with lighter deliveries of clothing and other goods. One place my mom tries to support is a local shelter aimed at young women and teen girls. I’m about 16 or 17 when this takes place, and since it’s the weekend — with the accompanying chores — I’m not dressed all that fancy.)
Mom: “Hey, [My Name]. You want to help me deliver to [Women’s Shelter] today?”
Me: “Sure, I’m ready if you are!”
Mom: “They’re not expecting me today, but I don’t think they’ll mind as we’ll still be within their usual donation hours.”
(We arrive at the apartment complex with boxes of donated clothing, magazines, etc. Due to the nature of some of the women’s “care,” the location isn’t well-known, and only a few non-volunteers are aware of it. Before we can start unloading, Mom and I get out of the car to explain to the staff on-duty what’s all included. A middle-aged woman, no doubt a coordinator of volunteers, steps outside and nearly shrieks when she sees me.)
Coordinator: “OH!” *gasps and starts to grow frantic, glancing at my oversized sweatshirt and old sneakers* “They didn’t tell me we were getting a new girl in today! Oh, honey, we’ll get a room set up for you right away, but we’ll need a bit of time!”
(The second she catches on, my mom starts laughing too hard to explain. Meanwhile, I’m left standing awkwardly on the driveway, wondering what I can possibly say.)
Mom: “S-she’s my daughter, [Coordinator]!”
Coordinator: “Oh! I’m so sorry!”
(My mom was now nearly on the ground in hysterics, so I calmly introduced myself before helping unload the car. The coordinator apologized again, and I dismissed her concerns while secretly resolving to buy some new sneakers.)
(I don’t have kids of my own, but I have lots of nieces and nephews, and I enjoy every minute around them. My sister is feeding her three-year-old son.)
Sister: *cheerfully hands him a cup of milk* “Drink it, my little boy! Drink it, and you will grow to be so tall and strong!”
Boy: *drinking, it really excited* “As tall as [Tall Guy he knows]?”
Sister: “Yes! As tall as him!”
Boy: *still excited* “And as tall as [Another Tall Guy]?!”
Sister: “Yes! You will be even taller than both of them!”
Boy: *suddenly stops drinking and looks at my sister, confused* “Mom, you didn’t finish your milk when you were little?”
Many of us here at Not Always Right grew up with the marvelous comic creations of Stan Lee, and we were all sad to hear of his passing. In tribute to his amazing legacy, we have rounded up some stories from the archives that show we are not alone in being touched by prolific and creative energy.
Photo credit: Fort Greene Focus on VisualHunt / CC BY-ND
The Jean-Grey To My Scott Summers – True love can blossom in comic conundrums.
The Jean-Grey To My Scott Summers, Part 2 – True love can also blossom in comic confrontations!
Generation X – Stan’s creativity has allowed many children to think outside the box.
Granola Bars, High In Iron, Gamma Rays, And Vibranium – For well-behaved children, the reward is Marvel!
The Stark Truth Shall Set You Free – Marvel’s output gets biblical in its complexity.
Got The Avengers Nailed – Who said comics are just for boys?
Your Friendly Neighborhood Customer Service – The secret identity to a child’s happiness.
The Infinity Aisle – With great power comes a great work ethic!
Made Contact With The X-Men – A child’s wonder is one of the best things that come from comics.
The Black Widow To My Hawkeye – DC? Eww!
A Thort-ful Child, Part 2 – Stan Lee, we were Loki to have you.
Want more? Then why not revisit our Superhero Roundup?
I am about three years old, and my little brother is around two. Up until this time, we’ve both been very easy kids, and we’ve never licked, bitten, or eaten random things like most toddlers do.
One day, my mom runs inside to go to the bathroom, leaving us happily playing outside on the porch. As soon as she leaves, I tell my brother to drink some of the gasoline that’s in a closed container for the car nearby. At this point in time, he idolizes me and does everything I say, so he agrees and drinks some gasoline. As soon as my mom comes back outside — a couple minutes at most — she sees what’s going on and frantically calls poison control. They tell her it’s probably fine since he didn’t consume much, but to watch him for symptoms.
A few days later, we’re on a walk with our cousins and parents. My brother looks at a bush with suspicious berries and says something about “green blueberries!” before putting one in his mouth. My seven-year-old cousin, who knows what not to eat by that point, tells my mom, who immediately calls poison control again, who tell her again that it’s probably okay, and to just watch him for symptoms.
A few days later, my mom walks into the bathroom to see my brother squeezing toothpaste into his mouth. He’s managed to empty almost the entire tube. Again, my mom calls poison control, but they tell her since it is fluoride-free he’ll be fine, but to watch him for symptoms, anyway.
That same week, when my parents aren’t looking. I manage to eat almost an entire bottle of teething tablets I found that were for my brother a while back. My mom has to call poison control again, and yet again they said I should be fine but watch for symptoms.
My parents are scared all those calls to poison control will get CPS called on us, but luckily that doesn’t happen. My brother and I never eat something we shouldn’t ever again after that. Just one terrifying week for our parents. It’s like we decided to condense all the scary moments into one!
