#100 “Keep pot handles turned away from the front of
the stove.”
I have a confession. This
isn’t really #100 of the one hundred things my mother taught me a million
times. About a year ago I realized that I had repeated one of the 100 things.
Then this February I received the following email from one of my most favorite
people in the world, Loralee Martin. She said,
This is
probably the worst email I've ever written, and I'm already regretting it...but
I'm gonna go out on a limb and take a chance. I was reading your blog, as I
always do ... there's a duplicate, and I
thought you'd want to know. #26 and #57 are the same. And I know it's bitchy to
point that out, but I figured you might be happy that I was reading/enjoying so
intently that I noticed it. No big deal, but you need to conjure
up another one, for those of us who are
enjoying this project! In fact...I have
a suggestion! "Never point out a mistake. It's impolite and people might
resent you for it".
To which I replied, that I
knew there was a duplicate, and was impressed that she was reading close enough
to catch it. So, in truth, #100 is
actually #99, and #98 is…well you get it, so on with #100 (really #99), which
brings back two indelible memories.
When I was growing up the
only heat we had in our house was the gas heater in the living room. It was a brown metal thing, about 4 feet high
and 18 inches wide on each side. It had a very distinct “art deco” look to it,
and I though it was beautiful. Of course we all spent a good bit of time close
to the thing because it was our only source of warmth, but it also didn’t take
long for it to warm the entire living room to a comfortable temperature. During
the winter months, the first place you went upon entering the house was to the
living room heater to warm your hands or butt, careful to get just close enough
to warm them, but not to touch the very hot metal surface.
Somehow I managed to back
into the heater and burned a pretty large place on the back of one leg. I’d
never felt pain like that, and it didn’t stop hurting for weeks as it healed. After
that I gained an enhanced respect for “hot.” Click on read more below...
So mom’s #100 (really #99)
has special meaning to me. When my children were small, or even when they
weren’t, I was always very careful to turn the pot handles towards the center
of the stove. I still turn all the handles inward, even if there’s no one here
at the house but me and my husband. I can’t bear the though of someone I love,
especially a child, getting burned just because I was careless.
Mom was right. We should
never assume that children won’t reach up and grab a hot pot on the stove just
because we tell them not to. Don’t rely on your child’s obedience, take
responsibility and reduce the danger.
The real #100, and a surprise
sequel coming soon!
Posts
My mother and I both remember that, when we lived in a certain house which means I was under five years of age, my mother put a hot iron on the stove after finishing ironing. She told me it was hot and not to touch it. So what did I do? You're right; I touched it as soon as my mother turned her back! Fortunately, I don't remember how it felt as you remember the burn from that heater.
ReplyDeleteGood one, SueAnn! I still do the same, probably because my mother did. Love the book reviews. Think it's uncanny how we are often reading or have just read the same books and your reviews hit the nail on the head. Is that a good cliche for books? Well, anyway, as Ellen DeGeneres would say... ! love from Charlena
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