I Remember When....

I have a confession.
I love talking about memories of other people.

But here is the real "issue".
Sometimes I do it, just so they will talk about a memory they have of me.

There is something validating about being told how funny or curious or strong or fearless you were as a kid. Or how brave or adorable or cute or dorky you were as a teenie bopper. It's like when you put in your status update "Write down one memory you have of me" and then sit and wait for the answers to pour in...laughing to yourself as someone says "memory, memory...that was so funny" while you are smiling and thinking "man, I was so funny".

It's awful and I know it. But, when I tell you something from your childhood that I think was hilarious or worth sharing again, it is partially because I want a boomerang memory to come right back at me... For example, I fed this bait to my brother last night. And he didn't take.

"I remember you doing ninja kicks behind the couch as a kid." - me.
"haha" - Colin.

If the story played out the way I wanted it to, it would have gone something like this:
"I remember you doing ninja kicks behind the couch as a kid: - me
"Oh my gosh! I totally remember that! I thought that was so fun! And you would always try to kick too, but you were so bad at it!" - Colin
"I was, wasn't I?" (to myself...oh clumsy silly stephanie..sigh) - me

See, Colin would have walked away feeling so cool because he could do the ninja kicks and had he reciprocated, could have made me feel equally as cool for being the cute and clumsy younger sister. fail, Colin. fail.

So, listen. We all love validating our friends for their super human kicks and amazing fort-making abilities as kids. Or how cool they really looked with that jewel studded hat in their 6th grade picture or the enormous corduroy pants that catapulted them into 9th grade popularity.

But, can't these memories be for both the giver and receiver? So, I'll scratch your back...you scratch mine, ok?

Backscratching...I used to play this game with my childhood friends called Write On Backs. They would write a word on my back and I would have to guess what they were saying and vice versa...Amy always tried to fake me out with her lower case "l" and upper case "I". She was so sneaky! But, I usually figured it out...oh smart and witty young Stephanie...sigh...