Hump Day

All you have to do is tell me a story from your childhood (up to 18, let's say). It can be short, long, funny, serious. Anything you want.

Wow. That's lot of leeway... So many choices.

When I was 4 or 5, before I started Kindergarten, my next-oldest sister, Jean was 18 or 19. She decided to try to teach me to read properly. I had one of those "Helen Keller at the pump" moments of clarity in the midst of reading Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where I suddenly got it: Those squiggles = The words she was saying. Aha! I can even tell you that it was on the page with the illustration of the family toward the front of the book.

By the way, the book is totally different from the movie in plot AND tone. It's interesting to go back and read it as an adult. These are not cartoon characters, like in the movie, but honest-to-God Bad Guys.

Though that Child-Catcher in the movie is about the freakiest thing I've ever seen; he still creeps me out.