Quick Funny

So, Nicole and I were comparing childhoods tonight as we bathed Henry. I mentioned that as a small boy I had a beaver skull as a toy, which had been given to me by my Uncle Ron, a noted fur trapper. I then stated that I'd have to see if I could find it to give to Henry when he got a little older. It was at this moment that I noticed Nicole looking at me as if I were mad.

This happens perhaps more often than you would think. Apparently, many of my stories from childhood strike Nicole as a bit odd, although it usually would not occur to me that anything is weird until I tell the tale and see a reaction. This does not mean she is approving or disapproving, but rather she just notices that they are not common experiences. (For example, it never struck me as odd that my parents wouldn't let me sleep over at other kid's houses at 14, but would let me travel as a carnival worker at that age.)

We discussed it briefly, and I used the standard "but I grew up in small town PA" excuse, which Nicole countered with the (true) statement that she did as well. Nevertheless, I though a beaver skull was a reasonable toy and Nicole thought it should be part of the serial killer training set. I tried to explain this difference in background agreeably by noting:

"Yeah, but you grew up ethnic."