What Do You Remember...?

...about things that happened when you were a kid?  I don't mean things like, for me and my '80s kin, "where were you when you heard about President Reagan getting shot?" or "what were you doing when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded moments after launch?" Those kinds of big, dramatic events somehow must end up deeply embedded in our brain. I was thinking more along the lines of stuff that happened at school or while hanging out with friends, or on family vacations.

Part of the reason that I really wanted to do this road trip with my family is because my parents took my younger brother and me on nearly the exact same route in 1978, only in reverse (IL to CA and back). When we went, I was 2 years younger than my younger son, J, is now. My memories of that vacation are kind of fuzzy -- snippets of things we did or saw, with a few vivid ones scattered in between (like the time when I got lost in Yellowstone, but I'll save that story for later).

In planning this trip for my family, I talked to my parents many times about ours - where did we go, what did we do, how long did we stay in this place or that? What they remembered were the places that were in their photo albums and the stories they told were the ones that I had heard repeated many times over the years. All of which got me thinking... with the exception of those big, dramatic events that burn into our brains, does telling the stories and having photos help us to remember? Or do those repeated stories and pictures actually become what we remember?

(Note to self: exactly how far behind am I on my scrapbooking?! Oh, the guilt, the guilt!)

So, I've been asking the boys - what do they remember about the places we've visited and the things we've done as a family? 

Me: Do you remember going to Devils Postpile?

August 2009

J: No.

Me: You know, the place with the columns of rocks. We went to the top of the Postpile and then hiked to Rainbow Falls. You went down to the river at the base of the falls with Dad.

M: That wasn't a lot of fun. The hike was too long and hot, and we really didn't get to play in the water.

J: Oh yeah! Now I remember. That's the place where I had to pee in the bushes. And we had ice cream.

And for all of the places I asked them about, a recurring theme emerged. After some prompting from me, here's what they seem to remember: playing in the snow/water, what they ate, and if there was some kind of bathroom emergency.

I guess if I want to be sure that they remember this trip, I'd better get caught up on my scrapbooking. And make sure they drink *lots* of water...