A Three Stooges Day
After the failings of July weather, August burst out with brilliant blue mornings and clear, cool nights. I was racking up banner days with my kids; cloudless skies on the lake, a little canoeing, swimming with their cousins. Kicking back on the beach chair with a book, I could hear their squeals of delight as they played rag tag, throwing the wet piece of towel at each other and ducking under the raft.
I call these helium heart days. You go to bed with a lightness of being, fullness of day and a sense of completion. You’ve hit the mark as a Mom on these days, checked off most things on the “Most Wonderful Mom” list like “played with kids,” “meaningful conversation” or “maintained good cheer.” You know these days don’t come all the time, maybe not every week, and so you try to still them, to soak them in.
Coming back up to our cottage I spread out the towels on the railing to dry and turned on the stove to roast a chicken. I was determined to check the box for “healthy meal” on this day too. I loved this; loved the pace of summer, of not having anywhere to be that night, of knowing we would all open our books on the couch that evening or tuck into a movie under blankets.
And so to demonstrate my contentment, I did what most people do when they are happy. I let out a Three Stooges Curly “whoop-whoop-whoop,” as I was stuffing the chicken’s cavity with rosemary, onions and garlic. Truth be told, it was kind of a combination of Curly and Julia Child, inspired as I was by the French Chef to be pulling the bird’s goose-fleshy legs wide open.
“What was that?” asked my daughter Claire.
“The Three Stooges,” I said, casually binding the chicken’s legs together with string like a demure virgin.
“I’ve heard of them. I think we have the movie.”
“Well, let’s find it,” I said. “Every kid needs to know about the Three Stooges. Whoop- whoop-whoop,” and I quickly rubbed my hands on my head the way Curly used to do. My kids laughed.
They tried to imitate the Curly thing, but without a good example, the real deal, they had no traction. There was no Three Stooges DVD in the drawer.
“Let’s You Tube it,” I said. Honestly, what did we do before You Tube? Life must have been one giant game of charades. How did we function without the ability to view everyone’s pratfalls, oogle bad plastic surgery transformations or watch the woman walking down Fifth Avenue with her skirt hem tucked in her panties.
And so as I finished the dinner prep, boiled the beets and cut the tomatoes, the sounds of Moe, Larry and Curly emanated from my office computer. The girls were transfixed.
Heading upstairs with my glass of white wine to take a shower, I realized that amongst the slaps, whines, screams, kicks and whoop-whoop-whooping soundtrack, one sound was missing — my kids’ laughter. My girls were watching, fascinated, but that slapstick kind of humor that was such a hallmark of the vaudevillian years was eluding them.
I had always sort of identified with the Three Stooges as a kid, being one of three girls. I was the oldest, Moe, the one starting the trouble and usually meting out the punishment. Watching a few of the clips, I’d forgotten what a complete bully Moe was, a serious tyrant, a dictator even, as seen through the eyes of my kids. But the expressions and the physical humor made me chuckle.
When it was almost time for dinner I walked in again to see them still both still mesmerized by the screen. That meany pants Moe was pulling Larry by the hair. And who was Schemp? Had Curly died? I couldn’t remember. Maybe he’d taken so much physical abuse that he had just keeled over one day.
“It’s really violent,” said Claire.
“And it’s black and white,” remarked Nora.
“Yeah, these shows were made even before I was born.”
“Wow,” said Claire. “That’s a long time ago.” I nodded seriously.
“Are they rated PG?” asked Claire. She was still stuck on the slapping, dragging, hair pulling and screaming part of the Three Stooges. Our kid’s did humor differently now. They had their own entire genre of “appropriate shows” that were educational. They learned other languages, how to get along, kindness and inclusion. There were Teletubbies and Dora the Explorer. Sesame Street taught them to count and read at an early age. Hannah Montana had her own identity and boyfriend problems to work out. There was absolutely, positively no slapping, hitting or boulders being dropped on anyone’s head.
“Use your words, Moe, not your hands,” I could imagine my Nora thinking as he popped Curly with an iron, screaming so hard his eyes bulged out of their sockets and veins stood out on his neck.
“That’s an outside voice Larry,” I imagined Claire thinking. But still they watched, with a combination of fascination and horror. Man, there went Moe again, swinging a two-by-four at poor Larry’s head. Well, that’s a brain injury waiting to happen, I thought as Curly’s eyes rolled back and Larry saw stars. I thought about all the things that used to pass for OK when we were kids, people on TV hitting each other in the kisser with golf clubs, no seat belts in the car, no bike helmets. Spanking was acceptable for the bad transgressions and the best ever was riding on the back of the station wagon, tailgate down, to get ice cream, legs dangling out over the road. All of this carefree recklessness I associated with my childhood. And I had loved it.
Sure, our kids were safer now and protected. We were smarter about so many things from diet and nutrition to political correctness and inclusion. As a generation of parents we had learned from our own parents’ mistakes and had gained from the knowledge of science, psychology and medicine that comes with the advancement of time.
But sometimes there is simply no substitute for the silliness of the “whoop-whoop- whoop.” There is simply no better, simpler, pure dumb-ass pleasure than the Three Stooges.
“Time for bed,” I called hours later. And when no one moved, I resorted to the technique my father had used in the good old days.
“See this finger?” I held out my pointer and Claire and Nora grinned, nodding. I had their attention now.
“See this thumb? “ they started laughing and running and in unison we all shouted….“See this fist…. You’d better run!”
Comments are closed.
Robin Goodfellow
August 16, 2009 at 6:56 pmYay for helium heart days!!! Thanks, Lee, for a great sketch of comfort and joy (yep, I agree – silly joy is awesome)! I remember bare feet on hot sidewalks, walking a mile to the park and spending a day in it, swimming or just swinging, without a fragment of worry…and Nancy Drew. That Nancy and I sure solved a lot of mysteries! ; )
Paulette
August 17, 2009 at 4:37 amLaughed out loud at the “See this finger” comment. I havent heard that in years. Your story took me back to my childhood with fond memories. I just lost my Mom a few months ago, and your words made me smile. Aren’t we glad that the violence we watched back then isnt allowed today. Life was so carefree back then, something so missed now. Thanks for sharing that.
Katie M.
August 20, 2009 at 5:33 pmThe day I discovered you had written another book, I searched my local libraries until I found it. Yaahh! I am sure as a writer you are always trying to find ways to connect to your listeners and as a reader I am always trying to find ways to connect to the writer. Mission accomplished with this book. Thank you for sharing your families life with all of us. If I could trouble you for an answer to a question I’ve had since I read your first book: what is your mental/emotional scaffolding to have handled your husbands work schedule all of these years? What do you remind yourself of as you adventure through family dinners, vacations, etc… temporarily without your/their beloved husband/Dad? How did you explain Bob’s temporary absence when the children were young? I am happily married to my working-long-hours-husband and the mother of our two young children.
Lee Woodruff
August 22, 2009 at 4:41 pmHmmmm– how did I explain it. I think my kids grew up knowing Dad was working hard for them, to give them the things in their life that were basic– clothes food– and also the extras, vacations, dinner out occasionally. When their Dad is around he tried to be really “present” as much as a Dad can be. And i think the key with kids isnt quantity– i really do believe it s quality. My Dad traveled alot. But he was the one I was closest to. You said the key word– happily married– thats all they really need to see to develop a wonderful sense for themselves and their blueprint for their own relationships….
Sherry F.
September 5, 2009 at 1:27 amYour writing is so fabulous. I feel like I’m rolling back the movie camera (was that a V8 or is that a juice?) and seeing memories I didn’t realize I had. The whoop, whoop and thoughts of your dad’s fading memories is so poignant. You are an amazing writer. Thanks for making it easier for me to remember “forgotten” memories!
howydonaldtttffdfrtrrrtjkj
November 24, 2009 at 5:32 amgood afternoon friends. I’m actually into shoes and I had been looking for that meticulous brand. The prices for the boots are around 300 dollars everwhere. But finally I set this site selling them as a remedy for half price. I absolutely like those [url=http://www.shoesempire.com]prada sneakers[/url]. I will absolutely order those.
jonathanrumsfffs
November 24, 2009 at 1:27 pmgood morning bros. I’m really into shoes and I was looking for that particular brand. The prices as regards the velcros are all over 300 dollars everwhere. But finally I base this location selling them as a remedy for half price. I absolutely like these [url=http://www.shoesempire.com]gucci shoes[/url]. I will definetly purchase those.
jeremymichaelskktddvbgfr
November 24, 2009 at 1:37 pmhello people. I’m really into shoes and I had been searching as far as something that exact brand. The prices for the boots were approximately 300 dollars on every site. But completely I set this area selling them as a remedy for half price. I absolutely want those [url=http://www.pradasneakers.org]Prada Shoes[/url]. I will probably order these.
Jeannine Boitel
December 24, 2009 at 10:12 amSimply want to say your article is astounding. The lucidity in your post is simply spectacular and i can assume you are an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your rss feed to keep up to date with incoming post. Thanks a million and please keep up the delightful work
Sharron Gaud
January 31, 2010 at 6:39 pmAwesome article! I’m really surprised about this. I can’t wait to see what happens. I look forward to reading more of your upcoming blog posts.Hey, have you seen any good movies lately? Don’t wait, http://www.watchironman2.net“ rel=”nofollow”>Watch Iron Man 2 Online today!
Nick Kanevsky
January 31, 2010 at 6:40 pmGreat article! I’m really surprised about this. I’m anxious to see what happens. I look forward to reading more of your upcoming blog posts.Hey, have you seen any good movies lately? Don’t wait, http://www.watchironman2.net“ rel=”nofollow”>Watch Iron Man 2 Online today!
Delmer Fisherman
February 1, 2010 at 1:34 amHey mate, when viewing at your site i see some sort of weird codes all over the page, in case it’s important I just thought I’d let you know it says this with all sorts of other stuff after it: “Warning: Cannot modify header information
Free Movies
February 9, 2010 at 10:30 pmYou are a very smart person!
m Deady
February 13, 2010 at 1:13 pmHello, how are you A mate very recently bought a old smaller motorbike, im not yet sure what model it is! My other mates are now mocking him and saying that it is a scooter, not a motorcycle! I want to put them in their place seriously what is the difference between a bike an a scooter? Can you assist?
Watch
February 20, 2010 at 1:49 amMost readers just don
chips zynga
March 2, 2010 at 5:20 ami probably would not have contemplated this was trendy a couple years back nonetheless it is interesting exactly how age varies the manner in which you perceive unique ideas, many thanks regarding the post it happens to be good to see some thing smart once in a while in lieu of the conventional trash mascarading as a blog on the internet, cheers
juanita
March 11, 2010 at 2:54 amGreat blog post for a fantastic album of 2009.
Loree Cutone
March 15, 2010 at 9:19 pmThis is an amazing entry. Thank you very much for the outstanding post provided! I was looking for this entry for a long time, but I wasn’t able to find a trustworthy source.
chi hair iron
April 16, 2010 at 3:36 pmthis one of my best blog i have been to , i wil definetly bookmark you . thanks a lot
Luciano Igo
April 21, 2010 at 10:27 pmJust wanted to say I really like your site and will definitely be back!