One Woman's Rags Are Another Woman's Riches
Yesterday was westbankmamma and pappa's wedding anniversary. We haven't celebrated "officially" yet - our usual dinner out didn't fit into this weeks schedule. But the youngest of the westbankkids couldn't resist and presented us with gifts.
They handed us two packages, one small, one medium sized. The small one contained a red stuffed heart, complete with a suction cup attached by a string. It is now enjoying pride of place near our computer.
As I slowly opened the medium sized package I gave my teenager a questioning look, but he only shrugged. I finished opening the lovingly taped wrapping paper and beheld...
Smartootim.
In plain Yiddish....shmattes.
Ok, ok, for those of you who are both Hebrew and Yiddishly challenged....rags.
In Israel we don't wash the floor with regular mops. We use a tool shaped like an inverted T with a cloth wrapped around the bottom. My youngest boys had given us those cloths.
Of course my teenager burst out laughing, and I couldn't help but chuckle. My husband looked at the kids and said, "You see these two front teeth? If I gave these to your mother I wouldn't have them for long!"
Now, before you think that we callously crushed their feelings, you have to have some information about my two youngest. They are at that wonderful stage of being on the cusp between innocence and "roll your eyes". So at the same time that they knew their gift was a bit silly, their innocent desire to give us something won out.
I, of course thanked them nicely. My husband did also, after claiming that he needed to have a serious man-to-man talk with both of them sometime before their wedding.
Obviously the best part of their gift was the thought and the effort behind it. But they also unwittingly gave us a gift very highly prized in Jewish families, which will be brought out at all of the appropriate, and not so appropriate occasions.
The family legend.
Yesterday was westbankmamma and pappa's wedding anniversary. We haven't celebrated "officially" yet - our usual dinner out didn't fit into this weeks schedule. But the youngest of the westbankkids couldn't resist and presented us with gifts.
They handed us two packages, one small, one medium sized. The small one contained a red stuffed heart, complete with a suction cup attached by a string. It is now enjoying pride of place near our computer.
As I slowly opened the medium sized package I gave my teenager a questioning look, but he only shrugged. I finished opening the lovingly taped wrapping paper and beheld...
Smartootim.
In plain Yiddish....shmattes.
Ok, ok, for those of you who are both Hebrew and Yiddishly challenged....rags.
In Israel we don't wash the floor with regular mops. We use a tool shaped like an inverted T with a cloth wrapped around the bottom. My youngest boys had given us those cloths.
Of course my teenager burst out laughing, and I couldn't help but chuckle. My husband looked at the kids and said, "You see these two front teeth? If I gave these to your mother I wouldn't have them for long!"
Now, before you think that we callously crushed their feelings, you have to have some information about my two youngest. They are at that wonderful stage of being on the cusp between innocence and "roll your eyes". So at the same time that they knew their gift was a bit silly, their innocent desire to give us something won out.
I, of course thanked them nicely. My husband did also, after claiming that he needed to have a serious man-to-man talk with both of them sometime before their wedding.
Obviously the best part of their gift was the thought and the effort behind it. But they also unwittingly gave us a gift very highly prized in Jewish families, which will be brought out at all of the appropriate, and not so appropriate occasions.
The family legend.
posted by westbankmama at 8:56 AM
5 Comments:
The best present would be if the kids would use it for cleaning!
My teenager does, Baruch Hashem!
Happy Anniversary.
We actually have a strange little one, our youngest. She loves mopping the floor more than anything else, even more than polishing the dining room table or sweeping (although it's close). So if she does all her other jobs, we "let" our four year old mop.
She would be allowed to give a cleaning product as a present. The older two? Eh, no.
that is the greatest story!
happy anniversary!!!!
Gavriel - yes, we have one who loves doing dishes - but the kitchen ends up like a swimming pool at the end...
Bec - thanks
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