If you have Facebook, it’s likely you get those flashback pictures — “10 years ago” and so on and so forth. It’s supposed to be a feelgood kind of thing. It digs deeper into your gut when a child is involved.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve received several of those Facebook flashback moments. It must be triggered by Daughter’s recent birthday. It’s a bittersweet memory when you see her in those tiny dresses and cute shoes.
We all get older. That’s the deal that comes with life. Like any machine, parts wear out and it begins to break down. Sometimes you can work around those breakdowns. But you know where this road is headed and eventually you’ll pass the final mile marker.
Anyway, Facebook has been enlightening me with the memories from years ago.
The star of these pictures is Daughter. The pictures remind us of a sweeter, simpler time. At age 2, she couldn’t have cuter (so much for the Terrible Twos). The toys — dolls and tea sets, toys that moved with or without batteries. Plastic doodads that crunched when you walked through the room. Characters and animals. All the things that create fantasy in the mind of a 2-year-old.
Now, at 13, fashion is critical, with Hoodie sweatshirts, from Thrasher, Champion and other anointed brands. Vans and Birkenstocks required footwear. All the must-have toys — iPad, Alexa, iPhone, and more. Her bedroom — painted as selected by her — is at the other end of the house, which gives her full run of the house’s second bathroom. There’s no secondhand furniture. It’s all new and is exactly what she wanted. You get the idea. She’s now at that age when spends hours on preparation even if there’s no place to go: hot-water-heater-emptying shower, make-up to rival this week’s Internet celebs, wardrobe, etc.
Then there’s the “too short” discussion that prefaces departures from the house. “That shirt is too shirt.” “You can only see my belly button.” But what happens when you raise your arms? “You can’t wear those shorts. Your biscuits are hanging out.”
I don’t know who coined that term — biscuits — but it’s less harsh and graphic than reality. “If you roll up those shorts, they’ll be too short.”
Daughter has transitioned into chief procurement officer for her clothes. Mom’s there for the necessary acquisitions, like new dress and shoes for a special occasion. But when Daughter is flush with cash and gift cards (the bulk of her 13th birthday presents) she immediately hits the Internet to purchase clothing and other items. Usually, she’s already scoped it out.
Last week, “Dad, I’m waiting for some packages.” OK. Delivery from Target, and other merchants.
This week, “Dad, I’m waiting for a package. It was supposed to be here today.”
Next day, Dad’s at the mailbox. Here’s her package. It’s from Victoria’s Secret.
I gulped. I also knew that she would never order anything that violated our household ethics. I deliver the package to her bedroom. She squeals with joy. I simply say, “Victoria’s Secret.”
A few minutes later, she showed me what she ordered: perfume and make-up.
“Was that a Victoria’s Secret gift card?”
I had to ask but I’m not sure if I wanted to know.
“Yes.”
I don’t count on any Facebook flashbacks for these moments. Still, Facebook flashbacks are just one way we hold onto our memories of those times. We have held tight to many of her toys, dolls, miscellaneous doo-dads and dad-dos, boxed, in our garage.
Sweet reminders of a more innocent time.
But there’s no room out for Victoria’s Secret.
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Facebook flashback photos take us back in time — but didn’t predict the future
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