# Big and Strong



## Furryanimal (Apr 4, 2019)

As a kid ,what were you told to eat because it would make you 'big and strong?'


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## Rosemarie (Apr 4, 2019)

I was a girl so I didn't want to be big and strong. ..but I did want curly hair, so I ate up all my crusts..(was lied to!)


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 5, 2019)




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## Keesha (Apr 5, 2019)

I was a girl so wanted to grow up big and strong so was told to eat all my vegetables so I did and I grew up big and strong :smug1: but NOT big & round


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## Trade (Apr 5, 2019)

Spinach. When I was about 7 years old I was totally convinced this was true from watching Popeye cartoons on TV. I used to eat cold spinach right out of the can with a fork.


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## Ronni (Apr 5, 2019)

Like Keesha, I was told that if I ate all my crusts, my hair would get curly.  As it was dead straight, I ate my crusts and everyone else's too because I SO wanted a mop of curly hair, like Shirley Temple!  

It wasn't till my 50's that my hair actually started to get some wave in it!  Was it the crusts do you think that finally worked?  Or perhaps menopause was the culprit!


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## Tommy (Apr 5, 2019)

Hmmm.  I don't recall that one.  For us, it was "fresh air and sunshine" that would make us "big and strong".  Looking back, I think it was just a ploy to get us urchins out from under foot.

I do remember being told to eat my fish because it was important for a healthy brain.  I liked fresh fish, but hated those frozen rectangular blocks of stuff the grocery stores sold back in the 50s and 60s. :yuk:


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## moviequeen1 (Apr 5, 2019)

My parents instilled in me and my siblings to drink milk and eat our vegetables.
I still drink milk every day,couple veggies I still love eating are spinach,green beans


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## Aunt Bea (Apr 5, 2019)




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## Pappy (Apr 5, 2019)

Every spring it was dandelion greens picked in the field. They’ll make you big and strong. Well, they didn’t...


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## Gary O' (Apr 5, 2019)

‘Clean your plate’

No promises

Just threats

….thinking about it, they may have been promises

‘You’ll just sit there…til it’s gone’

I had a problem with food touching each other
Those cafeteria trays were a godsend 

Anyway, I just sat there, alone, hand on the side of my head, propped up by my elbow on the table

Hours later, the mixed vegetables, and beet juice soaked hominy had yet to disintegrate on their own

Going to my room was a blessing (win)
I jumped up and ran

Over the formative year period I somehow managed to become fully grown
…and they fought weight problems…..heh heh


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## Ruth n Jersey (Apr 5, 2019)

I never got the big and strong story but I did get," finish your dinner,think of all the poor people in Europe who have nothing to eat." I always wanted to say,"so send it to them", but I never did.


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## RadishRose (Apr 5, 2019)

Why _wouldn't_ someone "eat their crusts"?  

Big and strong was a good thing, but not good enough...I used to be picky then.


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## Della (Apr 10, 2019)

> Why _wouldn't_ someone "eat their crusts"?



Crusts often were dry and didn't have any jelly on them.  My father made me eat mine, only he called them my corners and he didn't promise curly hair.  Sometimes he would promise that it would grow hair on my chest.  Always a joker, my dad.



> Anyway, I just sat there, alone, hand on the side of my head, propped up by my elbow on the table


Awww.  It always seems like it's little boys going through that torture.  My brothers had quite a few things they couldn't stand to eat.  Mostly it went down our Irish Setter's big muzzle, but even he refused to eat peas.  Those went in the kitchen door's keyhole.

My mother told us we had to drink our morning orange juice because our bodies couldn't store vitamin C, so we needed to replenish it every day.  On some level all we kids thought if we didn't drink our juice we would be dead by noon.


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## Aneeda72 (Apr 10, 2019)

We were told to eat our food because people were starving in China.


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## C'est Moi (Apr 10, 2019)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> I never got the big and strong story but I did get," finish your dinner,think of all the poor people in Europe who have nothing to eat." I always wanted to say,"so send it to them", but I never did.



Same here, only it was the "starving children in China."   :laugh:


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 21, 2020)

There wasn't one specific thing we were told if we ate would make us big and strong, but I do recall if one of us kids turned our noses up at something on the table or on our plates, we were met with, "it'll put hair on your chest". LOL!


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## Treacle (Jul 21, 2020)

Remember being told that we had to eat our dinner as there were starving people in Biafra who would be grateful for the food. Don't think fish and chips would be the diet of many African countries.   

I was told to eat my carrots as they would help me to see in the dark! If only I could find the right lenses for them!!!!!


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## Birdlady (Jul 21, 2020)

Treacle said:


> Remember being told that we had to eat our dinner as there were starving people in Biafra who would be grateful for the food. Don't think fish and chips would be the diet of many African countries.
> 
> I was told to eat my carrots as they would help me to see in the dark! If only I could find the right lenses for them!!!!!



ROFL, I remember that carrot story. We were told that carrots would give us superman vision, and seeing how we kids all seemed to be heading down the "nearsighted" corridor and needing thick glasses like our dad, I ate lots of carrots hoping this would save me from needing glasses. Didn't seem to work though. 

My sister got the idea somewhere as a kid that eating lots of chicken wings would make her able to fly. Eons later, it seems she either didn't eat enough wings or it was all her pipe dream, LOL.


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 21, 2020)

Treacle said:


> Remember being told that we had to eat our dinner as there were starving people in Biafra who would be grateful for the food. Don't think fish and chips would be the diet of many African countries.
> 
> I was told to eat my carrots as they would help me to see in the dark! If only I could find the right lenses for them!!!!!


OMG, yes! I totally forgot about the carrot saying!


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## RadishRose (Jul 21, 2020)

Ronni said:


> Like Keesha, I was told that if I ate all my crusts, my hair would get curly.  As it was dead straight, I ate my crusts and everyone else's too because I SO wanted a mop of curly hair, like Shirley Temple!
> 
> It wasn't till my 50's that my hair actually started to get some wave in it!  Was it the crusts do you think that finally worked?  Or perhaps menopause was the culprit!


I think it has something to do with how the hair follicles are positioned. If they are straight up and down, the hair is straight. If they are slanted, the hair waves or curls, depending on the degree of slant. I know I read this somewhere.

It appears this can change as we grow/get older as it did with you. Both my father and I started out with stick straight blonde hair, but in our teens our hair became curly and darker.


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## JaniceM (Jul 21, 2020)

"Big and strong" =  Wonder Bread.


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## fmdog44 (Jul 21, 2020)

C'est Moi said:


> Same here, only it was the "starving children in China."   :laugh:


Mine "people in _Indiana_ are starving", We lived in Illinois.


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## Keesha (Jul 21, 2020)

Ronni said:


> Like Keesha, I was told that if I ate all my crusts, my hair would get curly.  As it was dead straight, I ate my crusts and everyone else's too because I SO wanted a mop of curly hair, like Shirley Temple!
> 
> It wasn't till my 50's that my hair actually started to get some wave in it!  Was it the crusts do you think that finally worked?  Or perhaps menopause was the culprit!


It must’ve have worked for you. I’ve got a mop of curlies  and I gave my crusts to the dog


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## RadishRose (Jul 21, 2020)

I got the children in China, too.


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## Pecos (Jul 21, 2020)

If it was "yukkie", it was automatically labeled as something necessary to grow up "big and strong."


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## Lashann (Jul 21, 2020)

As a kid, I don't ever recall being encouraged to eat whatever was put in front of me.  My mother was such a wonderful cook and everything, no matter what it was, tasted so good when she prepared it.   I still don't need any encouragement!  LOL


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## Pappy (Jul 21, 2020)

I shined on cod fish gravy on boiled potatoes day. No one had to tell me to finish my plate. However, home grown Hubbard squash was hard to get down. Now, I love all squashes. Funny how taste change over the years.


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## JaniceM (Jul 21, 2020)

Pappy said:


> I shined on *cod fish gravy on boiled potatoes* day. No one had to tell me to finish my plate. However, home grown Hubbard squash was hard to get down. Now, I love all squashes. Funny how taste change over the years.



Never had it, don't think I've ever heard of it, but woooo it sounds good!!!!!


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## gennie (Jul 21, 2020)

It was spinach at my house


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## Lewkat (Jul 21, 2020)

My mother always spoke of half starved Armenians.  Later in life I dated a boy whose family was originally from Armenia and when I asked his mother about this she said my mom must have been referring to the Armenian genocide in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire.


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## win231 (Jul 21, 2020)

"Langendorf builds strong bodies 12 ways."
Or....was it "Weber's?"

My ex wife tried to make me eat "Wheaties" before bed.


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## win231 (Jul 21, 2020)

My mom thought Kellogg's "Concentrate" & Wheat Germ were magic energy foods.


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## WheatenLover (Jul 21, 2020)

My father just put a tablespoon full of whatever I didn't like and told me I had to eat it because it was good for me, and pretty soon I would like it. Cooked turnip greens were one thing, and fish of any kind was another.

I fed the fish to the dog and put the greens in my napkin to throw away later. Never got caught. Still hate fish and cooked greens. Still don't believe in acquiring a taste for any food since there are so many I like that are readily available.


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## MarciKS (Jul 21, 2020)

*My grandpa would tell me stuff would put hair on my chest. Used to freak me out. LOL*


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## fuzzybuddy (Jul 22, 2020)

I scoffed down everything on the plate. I didn't need encouragement. In fact, it wasn't a good idea to get between me and the plate.


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## 911 (Jul 22, 2020)

No one had to tell me anything. I just ate. Mom used to tell everyone, "Our boy is eating us out of our house and home." From the time that I left 6th grade over the summer and when I went into 7th grade, I grew 3 1/2 inches over that summer and gained 22 pounds. My dad thought maybe I had broke the "Guinness Book of Records." My dad really enjoyed reading that book.


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## PamfromTx (Jul 22, 2020)

We were 'forced' to eat lots of vegetables in order to grow up strong and healthy.   Well, can't say it worked.   But, I do love almost all vegetables, so it paid off.  Thanks,  Mom!


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## JaniceM (Jul 22, 2020)

When I was a little kid, my parents had TWO teenage boys..  surprised there was anything left for the rest of us!


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

pamelasmithwick said:


> We were 'forced' to eat lots of vegetables in order to grow up strong and healthy.   Well, can't say it worked.   But, I do love almost all vegetables, so it paid off.  Thanks,  Mom!


Never did agree with forcing a child or anyone to eat what they didn't want to eat.


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## JaniceM (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> Never did agree with forcing a child or anyone to eat what they didn't want to eat.


Yup, I'm with you on that.  
However, the subject of Caroline Kennedy was often mentioned-  "CAROLINE KENNEDY eats all HER vegetables!"


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> Yup, I'm with you on that.
> However, the subject of Caroline Kennedy was often mentioned-  "CAROLINE KENNEDY eats all HER vegetables!"


Shameful to say the least, isn't it?


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> Yup, I'm with you on that.
> However, the subject of Caroline Kennedy was often mentioned-  "CAROLINE KENNEDY eats all HER vegetables!"


I remember one of my sons sitting in his highchair at the supper table one evening, eating peas on his plate one at a time and seemingly enjoying them. Everyone cleared the table and I left dear son in his highchair while I started tiding up the kitchen. 

When I seen dear son was done, I stood him up in his highchair, took a damp cloth to his hands and face, lifted him down from his highchair, and carried on with kitchen cleanup.

A couple of hours went by and it was time to get dear son ready for bed. Unbeknownst to me, dear son had filled his pants with peas! I swear for every pea he ate that night, he shoved two down the front of his diapers.

As rubber pants were being pulled down and off, out rolled green pea after green pea, and the peas that didn't survive the adventure had turned to mush and were stuck to the inside of the rubber pants! What a mess!


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## JaniceM (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> I remember one of my sons sitting in his highchair at the supper table one evening, eating peas on his plate one at a time and seemingly enjoying them. Everyone cleared the table and I left dear son in his highchair while I started tiding up the kitchen.
> 
> When I seen dear son was done, I stood him up in his highchair, took a damp cloth to his hands and face, lifted him down from his highchair, and carried on with kitchen cleanup.
> 
> ...


When one of mine was little-  around 3 yrs old-  he stuck a pea up his nose!  THAT was a scary experience!!


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> When one of mine was little-  around 3 yrs old-  he stuck a pea up his nose!  THAT was a scary experience!!


OMG!

Heart-attack city! I've heard stories of such but have never experienced the panic in my day.

What did you do, Janice? And was baby crying and panicking, too?


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## JaniceM (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> OMG!
> 
> Heart-attack city! I've heard stories of such but have never experienced the panic in my day.
> 
> What did you do, Janice? And was baby crying and panicking, too?


Fortunately it wasn't up too far, so I was able to pull it out with a safety pin.  All I could think to do was instruct him to not inhale!!!  
Nope, he was the quietest, calmest child on the planet- never upset about anything-  a characteristic that's useful now that he has children of his own!


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> Fortunately it wasn't up too far, so I was able to pull it out with a safety pin.  All I could think to do was instruct him to not inhale!!!
> Nope, he was the quietest, calmest child on the planet- never upset about anything-  a characteristic that's useful now that he has children of his own!


I don't know about you, but it would have been instant panic city for me!

Did you keep your cool? If you did you were a better mom than me! I would have been freaking! 

LOVE the safety pin idea!!! I would have been digging up the poor kids nose (with who knows what) if it had happened to me!


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## JaniceM (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> I don't know about you, but it would have been instant panic city for me!
> 
> Did you keep your cool? If you did you were a better mom than me! I would have been freaking!
> 
> LOVE the safety pin idea!!! I would have been digging up the poor kids nose (with who knows what) if it had happened to me!


Yes and no..  I was calm on the outside, kinda panicking underneath.  
I didn't have a phone at the time, but figured if I went to call paramedics he could have inhaled it and choked while waiting for them to show up.


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> Yes and no..  I was calm on the outside, kinda panicking underneath.
> I didn't have a phone at the time, but figured if I went to call paramedics he could have inhaled it and choked while waiting for them to show up.


You did great! WAY better than me!

I remember one of my baby sisters swallowed something, or my mom thought (was convinced) she swallowed something, so over the course of days, mom went through every one of her dirty diapers wearing rubber gloves, to look for whatever it was that mom thought she swallowed. Nothing turned up.

With my own kids and even when I used to babysit, that's one thing I was always on top of, little things that could be swallowed. Used to worry sick about it. When I changed diapers, I always set the safety pins well out of reach of the child, and as for small toy and play things such as Lego building blocks, etc, I didn't allow my kids to play with that sort of thing until they were older.


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## Ronni (Jul 22, 2020)

I have 4 boys and a girl. When they were teens the boys would drink a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread made into PB&J sandwiches at one sitting.

I would buy 5 lb of ground beef, add a couple cups full of oatmeal to stretch it, make that into a meatloaf, prepare a 5 lb bag of potatoes for mashed potatoes, and there were never any leftovers.

My kids learned to eat fast so they could get seconds before anyone else did. They would use a mixing bowl to pour their cereal into, and use most of the box and a quarter of a gallon of milk for their breakfast.

one regular size (not snack size) bag of potato chips would be a side for just one of them to accompany 3-5 bologna and cheese sandwiches.

They are all between 6’ And 6’3” and even back as teens were sturdy and muscular, not overweight just really solid.

They ate me out of house and home!  We were poor so I bought and prepared lots of potatoes, beans, rice, cheap hamburger meat and ramen, not a lot of fruits and veggies, and everything in jumbo sized packages, no single serve anything.  They are healthy in spite of their poor diet growing up thank god.


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## JaniceM (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> You did great! WAY better than me!
> 
> I remember one of my baby sisters swallowed something, or my mom thought (was convinced) she swallowed something, so over the course of days, mom went through every one of her dirty diapers wearing rubber gloves, to look for whatever it was that mom thought she swallowed. Nothing turned up.
> 
> With my own kids and even when I used to babysit, that's one thing I was always on top of, little things that could be swallowed. Used to worry sick about it. When I changed diapers, I always set the safety pins well out of reach of the child, and as for small toy and play things such as Lego building blocks, etc, I didn't allow my kids to play with that sort of thing until they were older.


I was always careful about small items, too, but didn't consider peas to be a threat.  

Part of your post reminds me of a long-ago neighbor whose child swallowed a quarter.  As the neighbor was into searching for coins and other metal with one of those metal-detector gadgets, that's how he found out the child actually did swallow it.


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> I was always careful about small items, too, but didn't consider peas to be a threat.
> 
> Part of your post reminds me of a long-ago neighbor whose child swallowed a quarter.  As the neighbor was into searching for coins and other metal with one of those metal-detector gadgets, that's how he found out the child actually did swallow it.


ROFLMAO!

Janice, your post reminded me of something I remember as a young child. Remember at birthday parties, how the moms would bake a birthday cake and put loose change into the cake? I remember we were always told, careful when you eat, then you'd take a fork-full, and after a little sucking and licking, you'd pull out a quarter, or dime, or a nickel out of your mouth and put it into your pocket.

Those were the days.


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## JaniceM (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> ROFLMAO!
> 
> Janice, your post reminded me of something I remember as a young child. Remember at birthday parties, how the moms would bake a birthday cake and put loose change into the cake? I remember we were always told, careful when you eat, then you'd take a fork-full, and after a little sucking and licking, you'd pull out a quarter, or dime, or a nickel out of your mouth and put it into your pocket.
> 
> Those were the days.


Actually I've never heard of that.  Maybe it's a Canadian tradition?  
All I was familiar with were the King Cakes for Mardi Gras-  making sure nobody accidentally swallowed the little plastic baby hidden inside.


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> Actually I've never heard of that.  Maybe it's a Canadian tradition?
> All I was familiar with were the King Cakes for Mardi Gras-  making sure nobody accidentally swallowed the little plastic baby hidden inside.


Good question.

I thought for sure you would have been one that would have experienced the loose change thing in birthday cakes. 

LOL, about the King Cakes!


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## Pecos (Jul 22, 2020)

JaniceM said:


> When one of mine was little-  around 3 yrs old-  he stuck a pea up his nose!  THAT was a scary experience!!


My two younger brothers decided this would be a good idea and they used dried pinto beans which had started to swell by the time my mother discovered them. It took some real effort to get them out.

....... It does make a devil of a good story.


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## Kayelle (Jul 22, 2020)

I weighed *10lb.11oz *when I was born and although I wasn't fat child, I was never encouraged to eat more than I wanted because I looked so much older than I was.

 Actually, it was disturbing because I was just a little kid who just appeared older.   

I "developed" way too young too and that was really the pits ! By the time I was full grown (5'8") at about 14 yrs, people thought I was at least 17yrs. 

My life began to be normal then and in my adulthood I've looked just my age I think.

 That may have been TMI...In any case, no I never wanted to be "big and strong"
I sure should have eaten more carrots though......there's no way I would ever drive at night


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## Kayelle (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> I remember one of my sons sitting in his highchair at the supper table one evening, eating peas on his plate one at a time and seemingly enjoying them. Everyone cleared the table and I left dear son in his highchair while I started tiding up the kitchen.
> 
> When I seen dear son was done, I stood him up in his highchair, took a damp cloth to his hands and face, lifted him down from his highchair, and carried on with kitchen cleanup.
> 
> ...


I just had to tell you Marge...I howled laughing over that! Bowmore came to read over my shoulder and it broke him up too. Thanks..we needed that!


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> I weighed *10lb.11oz *when I was born and although I wasn't fat child, I was never encouraged to eat more than I wanted because I looked so much older than I was.
> 
> Actually, it was disturbing because I was just a little kid who just appeared older.
> 
> ...


OMG, Kayelle... you were a BIG baby! Wow!

I remember my mom telling me that babies born anything over 8 lbs (back in the early 70's) was considered to be big.


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> I just had to tell you Marge...I howled laughing over that! Bowmore came to read over my shoulder and it broke him up too. Thanks..we needed that!


And that's what it's all about! 

I can't tell you how many days I come here and get my laugh of the day, Kayelle! So good for the soul.

Hugs to you and Bowmore!


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## Kayelle (Jul 22, 2020)

Aunt Marg said:


> OMG, Kayelle... you were a BIG baby! Wow!
> 
> I remember my mom telling me that babies born anything over 8 lbs (back in the early 70's) was considered to be big.


My dainty little (over 40) Mama was told to expect twins. They had to knock her out, and when she saw only me, she thought my twin had died.
My Dad was a very big John Wayne type.
My own two sons were nearly 9 lbs. Not fun back in those days.
I always hated to be called "big boned". Petite was never me.   The word "Petite" still gripes me to this day.


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## Aunt Marg (Jul 22, 2020)

Kayelle said:


> My little dainty little (over 40) Mama was told to expect twins. They had to knock her out, and when she saw only me, she thought my twin had died.
> My Dad was a very big John Wayne type.
> My own two sons were nearly 9 lbs. Not fun back in those days.
> I always hated to be called "big boned". Petite was never me.   The word "Petite" still gripes me to this day.


Oh my word, I know all about "big boned".

I've always been bigger, and big boned, too, taking after my mom who was the same. Myself, along with my sisters all sport pear-shaped figures, so petite never figured in around our house.

High 6's, mid to high 7's, and one low 8 lb with my own children, and while I would have to go into my baby photo album to check, I seem to remember I was 7 lbs, 1 ounce when born.

My mom smoked all through her pregnancies, which from everything I know and have been told, was the norm back in the day, and I recall mom telling me that all of us kids were equal to any others (newborn weight wise) she knew of where the mothers didn't smoke.


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## Fyrefox (Jul 23, 2020)

I heard a variety of food nostrums during my growing-up years, including the classic admonition that certain foods would make me "big and strong" while others would "make my hair curly" or "put hair on my chest."  There was also the one that fish were "brain food."  I always wondered how that was so since fish are not generally regarded as intellectuals.  I guess that was how people attempted genetic engineering back then...

Then, of course, there were the pitiful starving children, sometimes in Africa and at other times in China who would have _loved _to have had what was on my plate, smacking their lips as they ate it!  I once suggested that my mother send it to them...

...that did _not _go over well!


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