Now I've been telling the story for many years about how I always wanted a sit and spin and never got one because my mom thought I would get sick from all the spinning. I mean really... Adults always say stuff like that. What kid ever gets sick from spinning? (O.K. Some kids do, but it's rare.) The Sit and Spin story has been told in perpetuity. In fact I told the story so many times that my Mom wants to smack me.
Mom's side of the story: "If I knew you wanted a Sit and Spin so badly, I would have bought you one. I just thought you'd get sick."
I do realize this mom. I also admit that as a 5 year old I may not have communicated my wants and needs so eloquently. You are off the hook. You were never really on the hook. But, the story is not funny without blaming you.
Cut to my 38th birthday last week. (I know, I don't look a day over 21.) My sister Julie tells me to close my eyes. When it's time to open them I see this.
Yeah, that's right. My own "Pimp my ride" version of a Sit and Spin. I know, you're totally jealous. This Sit and Spin was salvaged from a neighbors junk pile on clean-up week. Before it hit the junk pile, it had been sitting in their back yard for years. "What is the best way to clean it?" you ask. Car wash. The answer is car wash. My brother-in-law tells me you can really get that sucker spinning when you spray the water directly at it. After it was clean, Julie found this picture of me to mod podge to the top. Why am I making that face? I was holding a baby. Shut up. I bet there are pictures floating around of you with a crazy face because a baby is in the vicinity. The picture, where I'm wearing a Vikings jersey, suggested a Minnesota Vikings theme. She used some more mod podge and viola. A custom Minnesota Vikings Sit and Spin.
Did I spend the day spinning? Well, let me tell you, getting onto a Sit and Spin is no easy feat as an adult. It takes maneuvering. Also, I weigh a pound or two more then I did when I was five. Now the sit and spin scrapes on the ground and doesn't spin so well. My sister points out that the ball barrings aren't new. Yep. I'm sure it's the ball barrings. In the end, it's probably good that it doesn't spin for me. Because if it did spin, I'd get sick.
What did we learn?
1. Mom was right. (as usual)
2. Dreams really do come true.
3. Even filthy toys can be cleaned.
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It’s funny that you received a Sit-n-Spin for your birthday when this past week my family and I have been reminiscing on Facebook about the same subject. This was all brought on by one of Facebook’s adolescent, mind-numbing yet secretly interesting “What kind of [insert strange subject like ‘80’s Toy’] are YOU?” quizzes (I do realize that I will never be able to regain the hours I have wasted on Facebook taking those quizzes—my most recent favorite is “Which Grease character are YOU? Proudly, I got Rizzo…not because I am like her but because I wish I could be…).
ReplyDeleteWhich 80s toy was I? a Sit-n-Spin, of course, which spurred on the conversation between me and two of my cousins who claim I broke theirs while babysitting 20-some years ago. It may be true; but I will never confess. I never had one growing up, so the truth is that when I babysat, I would tell them to go read a book or something while I sat and span. I think the warning on the toy said something about being for ages 1 to 7. At age 13, I think I may have exceeded the weight limit.
I then naturally blamed my mother for not buying me one of my own and offered the idea that we should develop an adult version of Sit-n-Spin to make our millions (an idea I think we’ve discussed at New John’s often as we dive into the water to fetch beers we’ve thrown off the bridge). My mother posted that it’s already been done.It’s called Disney World.
In Mom’s defense, she did buy me a Lite Brite.
Toni