Childhood Memory Relived

When I was a little boy my mother took me with her to one of her friend’s house. She had a daughter about my age and both our parents thought we would play well together. We arrived and our mothers greeted each other with their pleasantries and the girl dragged me off to another room to play. I am a timid person, or at least I was before now and I was back then. The little girl looked at me and said, “Let’s play doctor.” Okay I thought. Whatever. Now in her playhouse she hands me the plastic briefcase of medical instruments. I lean down to open the box on the floor, grab the stethoscope, and stand up to begin my examination. When I turn to her I find her completely naked for this pretend event. And being young and not knowing any better said, “Okay.” Our parents came in a short time later. The look of shock on their faces. My mother looked at me and I knew playtime was over. She told the story later on in my high school years. Everyone finding it funny. Me thinking it was cruel (how is a guy going to get dates when his mother is telling his girl friends this story and showing them embarrassing childhood pictures?).

Well, surprisingly this story has become real life again. Not with me. But with a friend of mine’s four year old son and one of his girl friends. Sitting there in a room next to where the kids were playing I hear the little girl say those exact same words. Memories come flooding back to me of that moment. I turn to my friend and tell her she might want to check on the kids. They are about to play “doctor.” She says they’ll be fine. They won’t do anything. I know better. I walk back to the room, and with no surprise, find the girl in only her underwear and my friend’s son looking at her. I immediately call out to the mother to come handle this. The whole time acting like a kid myself telling her, “I told you so. I told you so.”

Funny how life brings back certain memories.