For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for September 27, 2015

My younger brothers learned that trick to get my mother to agree to anything they wanted to do. And it worked every time, too, which is why they got away with stuff that would have gotten me the death penalty!

Well, I guess that works, but I wouldn’t be buying her any more.

Elly must have slept really late in order for Elizabeth to accomplish a garage sale! Where was John?

My brother tag sales, he told me he got $200 of American Beauty doll stuff for 10 bucks. His wife was astounded.

Oh no, where’s Farley?

Our Mom would take the toys she had thought my sister and I outgrew and throw them out. I found this out one morning as I took out the trash before School. I bumped the can and the plastic lid popped off. There I was looking a a big bag of Lego’s, my Lego’s! I was mad, sad, and elated all at once. I had found out a big secret, I still haven’t told my sister. I took them out and hid them in the shed. And until I left home for good, I checked everyday out of fear of losing something I loved. There are some things I can forgive my parents for. This is one I could not. As bad as it was sometimes, I have issues about my past being destroyed.there is very little in my life I can point at and say, “I used to live here”, or “I used to work or go to school here”.

Back in the 30s & 40s “toys, or learning tools,” were handed down from grandparents, & other relatives. Nothing was ever tossed out. Each item was cherished, & respected.

My ex-DIL does this. I find lots of things I have given my grandkids, set out for sale at her garage sales. Grrrr….

My mother tossed my comic book collection. In it, was a dog eared copy of Action #1. It was in rough shape, but still worth a bundle these days.

Sorry, folks, I didn’t mean to stir up a can of worms here. To all with unhappy memories, I hope your lives are in a better place now.

When our son was 7 years old (or so), my wife told him about her mother throwing away all of her favorite things. I reassured him that we’d respect his things, and never throw any of them away.He wasn’t the neatest kid, but he always valued his belongings, and the respect we had for him.He died very suddenly almost 4 years ago. My wife died two years later.And I value their belongings, and am so grateful I still have them to remind me of the times we had together, and how wonderful they were.

Stepping on a light sprinkling of legos in the middle of a dark, dark night will cause them to disappear..

How much money did she get?

I kept all of the toys. These are all “new” for the grandchildren and they just love them. It was fun to watch our youngest grand child try to figure out how to hang up an old style phone in the play kitchen today but she enjoyed it.

A romancer of his own life then?

I would NOT have gone back and bought anything back, except for things that were family heirlooms; and then I would have kept them for myself. As much as possible, I let my kids deal with the consequences of their actions.