Making Memories

Today was Sports Day, or field day for you Yanks. at Smallhausen’s school. We couldn’t go last year because they don’t let parents come to the Reception year sports day, so the entire clan was out in force to support today.

In the latter half, I was sitting and chatting to my mother-in-law, as one does. She was gesturing to the field and commenting how attending these sort of things make memories. And to her, it wasn’t so much making memories for us as adults, but memories for Smallhausen as a child, with knowing that we are there to be a part of her life. I kind of shrugged; my mother-in-law is infinitely more sentimental than me, for all we both had difficult childhoods. I’m sure my parents would disagree if I gave them the oxygen to waste. I honestly can’t remember if they did or didn’t come to my things. They probably did, but I can’t remember. There was a lot I needed in my life in advance of showing up at public events, so like… it didn’t matter?

Having said that, maybe that’s why my mother-in-law is more sentimental. Her mother was ill and died when she was very young, so she had to grow up very quick (something she connects to me on), and I think, might ‘overreact’ to these things with my kiddos because she never thought she’d have grandkids to love and spoil. I should ask her sometime; we tend to do a good job of proposing such hardball questions at each other because we have a high level of love and respect for each other.

Anyways, memories. To her, going to sports day is the making of memories because Smalls will remember us being there. And (I added cheekily) she benefits from the fact that we have easy access to digital recording methods, meaning we took videos and pictures to spare of her participating.

To her, the vacation the six of us are going on together is making memories. I have less-than-fond memories of family holidays myself, so I’m slightly wary. Slightly. I’m less wary because this vacation is the sharing of what my husband and his parents did when he was a child, to include the location. It’s hard for me to feel anything about optimism about it, really. Like, I don’t know what to expect; this is our first proper family vacation since I moved here. I *think* my in-laws are like myself and my husband, in that the point of a vacation is to relax and not cram lots of activity into it. We’ll see. 🙂

For now, my idiot self decided it was a good idea to walk a mile around the village looking for Pokémon and further Pokéstops. I didn’t find either, so now I’m channelling my annoyance into a spreadsheet. Because spreadsheets are awesome.

ANYWAYS.

<3