Throughout the day I fulfill many rituals, I start with them from the very moment I get up, they are actions that allow me to mark the rhythm of time.
Of all these rituals, the one I like the most is at about 3:30 pm, at that time I wake up my wife from her long nap. To finish waking her up, she puts the coffee pot on with a strong cup of coffee, pours a cup for her and one for me and we go to our porch to talk.
On some special afternoons, when they have completed their schoolwork, the granddaughters who live beyond the sea interrupt our conversation with some Whatsapp call. Then we start talking about the most diverse things.
A few days ago the eldest granddaughter, who is ten years old, surprised us by asking us if it was true that we tied up the aunt (my youngest daughter) when she was little. Her father (my eldest son) had told the younger daughter that if she continued to be restless in the street he would have to tie her up like we did with the aunt. My daughter did not remember that episode and so she told the granddaughter to ask us directly.
At first I was at a loss for an answer, I really didn't remember that we had done it. But my wife, who has a golden memory, immediately remembered the situation.
My daughter was about two or three years old, she was a very restless child, she didn't like to walk down the street holding hands, and every now and then she would let go and start walking alone. This caused us a lot of fear because there was a risk that she would run into a shop window or run out into the street. She also loved to hide when we went into a big store, she had a great ability to get under the counters or where the boxes were stacked. Sometimes it made us quite distressed.
In those years there had been several cases of child abductions, there were several versions on the subject. The most repeated one said that suddenly some men appeared out of nowhere and took the children running or on motorcycles. The population was alarmed and went crazy.
Then harnesses began to appear in the stores that allowed children to be held on a leash; there were harnesses of all types, sizes and colors, with fixed or extendable straps. Suddenly the city was full of children who were strapped close to their parents.
At first my wife and I didn't like the idea at all, the image reminded us of people walking their pets. But after thinking it over we saw that it was quite a practical solution. So we went to a store and bought the harness to put on the girl.
From that moment on, every time we went out we put the harness on the girl. I don't remember how long I would wear it, but it must have been quite a while, otherwise my son wouldn't have remembered the scene.
The harness turned out to be a great solution for both the child and us. She felt comfortable walking on her own and we felt safer knowing that she wouldn't run out and bump into something.
But the granddaughter didn't like the fact that we had tied up the aunt to go out in the street during her childhood years. She thought it was an abuse on our part and very inconsiderate, she said we had violated her rights as a child. That reasoning of the granddaughter also surprised us very much, we had not seen it that way, the truth is that it left me thinking.
Maybe the granddaughter is right. But when we analyzed the matter, my wife and I came to the conclusion that the daughter was not traumatized by it, otherwise she would not have forgotten it.
But the subject won't get out of my head and to keep thinking about it I'd better go and pour myself another cup of hot coffee.
Thanks for your time.
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Logo creado por @themanualbot
