Reruns are the Pits

Happy Birthday to my sweet niece, Dr. Jeannette Fresne. But she wasn’t always so sweet—in fact, when she was only a month old, Jeannette taught me a valuable lesson in a most unkind way.

Fifteen years old at the time, I thought I was the luckiest aunt on the face of the earth. Jeannette, the first grandchild in our family, was smart enough to be born in the summer so family could be there when she came home. When my parents went back home to Pennsylvania, they let me stay in Texas for the summer to help my sister.

I don’t know how much help I was, but I sure loved on my little niece with all my heart. In fact, I may have monopolized her entire care. I played with her, changed her diapers, fed her and burped her. I even taught her gymnastics and her first word.

From day one, Jeannette had stomach problems and after each feeding, she amazed us all with her formula projectiles. Now remember I was just a teenager. What did I know about babies’ stomachs? So while dangling her little body over me and in the middle of the last syllable of ma-ma, Jeannette vomited her sour formula into my mouth. As I choked on the curdled mess that had started to slide down my throat, and still conscious of the care of baby Jeannette, I quickly rolled over and laid her down.

I believe Jeannette’s stomach improved with age; however, I can still vividly remember the smell and texture of that acerbic concoction that hit me full force.

So here’s the life lesson: Learn from your experiences but don’t hold onto the bitterness.  Don’t replay your mistakes in life. If you are like me, the reruns could keep you very busy. Instead, learn from your mistakes and then share what you have learned with others.

Who knows, maybe some other teenager could benefit from my knowledge of a baby’s stomach. And Jeannette, believe me—I am not bitter at all.