I've been thinking a lot about my parent's family. There were six of us - 2 girls and then 4 boys. Mom told me she thought she was pretty smart - having the girls first so they (we) could help with the boys. Maybe it was smart. All I know is that being the first-born of that crew was an all-encompassing responsibility.
In this photo, Spencer wasn't born yet. Rob is the baby, so this was probably about February or March 1961. Look at Jim - the one holding the puppy. The puppy. Five kids, a baby and a puppy. Dave, on the tryke, seems a little unsure of the whole situation,
even though Cindy hovers closely to reassure him. Dad has me clamped down - I was very likely to skitter off. Check out those glasses. The very latest fashion...
Dad earned an MBA from USC a few years later. Mom taught 7th
grade during those years. I imagine it probably felt like a vacation - at least while she was at school. I'm pretty sure she came home to chaos. But, she fixed dinner, did the laundry, helped us with our homework, and waited up for Dad to get home from class. At the time, I didn't realize what she was sacrificing. I know better now.
Here are the boys after Spencer became an Eagle Scout - number 4 out of 4. They each served missions. They each graduated from college. Twice. Rob is the Columbia MBA (left). The other three chose the law. Mom and Dad were very proud of these boys. In spite of their free-spirited childhood, they each became responsible men. Mom and Dad never doubted but Cindy and I did. After all, we taught them everything we knew...
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