Memories of Mom and Dad

Memories of My Mom and Dad
When I read everyone’s comments, they brought several tears to my eyes. In no particular order, here is part of what I remember from a wonderful childhood:

1. Attention time. With 3 kids, and all wanting Dad to read a personal bedtime story, Dad had to apportion rigid time periods for “attention” at night. Each kid received the 15 or so minutes and the other 2 would complain if the time was not equal.
2. Short division. It seemed that packages of cookies always came in groups of 12 but there were 5 in the family. Mom’s division worked the best: Each kid and Mom got 3, and Dad got none (he didn’t seem to mind).
3. Make a written outline. In middle school, when I was trying to grasp a difficult math problem, Dad showed me how to write out the smaller parts of the problem first, then proceed to solve the whole problem. A few years later, he told me the same strategy works for a variety of projects, such as organizing a book report. To this day, if I am faced with a difficult task, I organize my thoughts in an outline to break down the issues. I attribute a large part of my success as an attorney to preparing outlines before appearing in court and writing briefs.
4. Cold baths. Mom was years ahead in the area of non-medical treatment of illness. I remember many times she plunged me into the bathtub filled with ice-cold water to shock a cold virus out of my body. And you know what? It worked every time.
5. Vacations. I agree with everything Karen and Nancy said. Terrific memories. I take my wife and kids on many vacations.

There is so much more that it would take me days to write it all. Thank you for everything!

Love,
Randy