Posted by babka at 170.215.212.25 on February 28, 2003 at 08:45:26:
In Reply to: French Toast and ketchup... posted by KidRooter on February 27, 2003 at 11:06:45:
Dear KidRooter: don't know what happened to my response to this
post, but it touches me so. I too was a latchkey kid, my parents
divorced when I was four. Mine was ketchup on spaghetti. Thank you
for this.
: My parents divorced when I was very young. I grew up part of the key
on the shoe string around the neck generation. I spent a lot of time
with an elderly woman across the street from my house. She was like
the grandmother that I never met for mine had died before I was born.
My dad paid her a little money to watch out for me while he worked.
When I was old enough I went to kindergarten in the mornings I
would return to the elderly woman ,Ms. Matty's, house. For my lunch
or afternoon snack she would often make me French Toast but rather
than cinnamon and powdered sugar and syrup, she would put
ketchup on it. In retrospect I am sure that is all she could afford to
feed me. I would set and watch Mr. Rogers and eat french toast and
ketchup on Ms. Matty's ugly green matted shag carpet. We moved
from Ms. Matty's neighborhood when I was 8 years old. I spent
everyday sans weekends with that lady. I heard Ms. Patty passed
away about three years ago.
: I hadn't really thought of that in years until I woke up this morning
and heard that my childhood friend, Mr. Rogers had passed away. I
had no idea what kind of influence the man had on my life. Still, when
I come home from work put of a comfortable shirt/sweatshirt and
house shoes. Kinda symbolic, for me, of shucking the yuck of work
and traffic and all the day to day and putting on some comfort. And I
still prefer the land of make believe to the real one.
: May Mr. Rogers live on forever in our hearts and re-runs, without him
where will children learn to be good people?
: I will be having French Toast and Ketchup for lunch today.
: Kid Rooter