Growing Pains

for those of you taking my bet...jammer still has poison ivy. its not as bad on his belly & back but thats only due to the sun he's gotten not wearing a shirt. his legs are still covered & he's digging on it. which doesn't help but without medicine what are you gonna do? i can laugh now but when this happened it wasn't so funny. don't get me wrong i don't think its funny that i hurt him but his reaction was hilarious. i have betadine. its the stuff surgeons use to scrub up for before surgery on both themselves & you. by its name you can surmise its an iodine derivative. its not supposed to burn but thats not on open wounds & i didn't know this until i poured it on jammers active poison ivy. it was fine while it ran down his belly & back but when it hit his legs where the poison is still very active he went nuts. he shook like a cartoon cat trying to dry itself after a dip in the pool. he screamed at the top of his lungs then plopped in the tub like he was doing some kind of major cannon ball. all of a sudden betadine & water shot all over me & my bathroom & he's screaming like a banshee. i tried not to laugh but it was a scene i don't think i'll ever forget. poor kid will never believe me again when i tell him it won't hurt.
they were all so bad this weekend that i didn't take them to the pool. instead we visited my aunt. the only aunt i have on my dads side. i love to visit with her. she's one person that can tell me about when i was little & mom & dad were together. like me, or i guess i'm like her, she likes to take alot of pictures & she's a pack rat. she keeps everything. she has a house full of memories for me so, i went through album after album & remembered things i hadn't thought about for years. she got to meet all 4 grandkids & loved every minute of it. she feed us & we visited for about 3 hours all together. the kids were crazy about her & when we got ready to leave they were all hanging on her & giving her kisses goodbye. being my dads older sister he talks to her about a lot of things that he doesn't really discuss with too many other people. she made me feel better about my relationship with my dad. which is kinda void but she put a new perspective on it that hadn't occured to me. it doesn't make me want to run out & hug his neck but at least i don't feel so alone after some of what she told me. i know my dad would shit a brick if he knew she had broken his confidence but i think she felt like i needed a verbal hug even if it wasn't from dad.
i've always believed my dad never really learned how to love anyone but himself. especially us kids. he's always been pretty self-centered & conceited. i think i understand why just a little better after talking to her. you know when you're a kid you don't really understand the hurt that parents dish out. now i'm older i get it alittle better. she did tell me that dad confessed to her that my mom was the love of his life. mom would have loved to know that when she was alive. my knowing it makes me feel a little softer towards him.
well, i wanted to get this posted before bed. its been a long day & i'm beat.
later.