In preparing for Isaias earlier this week, my son Shea moved his jet ski off the lift at my pier and then motored around to the boat ramp just down the road from my house. My task was to drive his vehicle and trailer to the ramp where he would load the jet ski onto the trailer and take it to his house.
However, once I was at the ramp and tried to back the trailer down the ramp, I could not do so. After a couple failed attempts on my part, Shea tied the jet ski to a pier post, took over for me at the wheel and effortlessly backed the trailer down the ramp. He then secured the jet ski on the trailer and we hopped in his SUV to head back home.
On the way I asked him “What was I doing wrong? I had my hand on top of the wheel and tried turning it in the direction I wanted the trailer to go but it went the opposite way.” Shea said “You put your hand on the bottom of the wheel, not the top. Don’t you remember? You taught me that when I was a kid and we had that lawnmower with the cart behind it.”
6 O’clock Not 12 O’clock
I was pleased to hear him say that I had actually taught him something that he had retained and used thru the years. (But the thought also crossed my mind that no, I obviously did not remember teaching him that and in fact had forgotten it myself. In my defense however, I did vaguely remember that riding lawnmower and cart though. Photo here of Shea driving his sister Reagan around on it.)
I simply wrote it off as another one of those full circle moments where the child now teaches the adult things once known and forgotten.
And speaking of remembering, here is a nice little childhood “remembering” video from Phil: