Good Bye Mrs. Leary
My Mom called yesterday and says that Mrs. Leary died unexpectedly in the night. She was 75 years old.
Mrs. Leary, for those not in the know, ran a day care in her home before the government got all involved with child care. She would have between 12 and 20 kids of all ages. She provided no lunch or educational stimulation, save a rotten peanut butter sandwich and TV. She made the older kids clean her house while her son Jeff teased the rest of us to tears. She was known to lock the kids in backyard for all day in the summer come rain or come shine.
I remember being there and hating it. I was scared for my life on many occasions. My mother did not believe the conditions or treatment we suffered until year later when the group of us who met there kept telling the same stories over and again from our own vantage.
She had a Black Lab named Caesar who was HUGE and he would chase us an tackle us to the muddy ground. She had a pool table that we were not to touch, but did. She had a single cup in the bathroom for drinks of water. We all used it.
One time when I when to climb the toilet to turn on the bathroom light my leg went right on b/c someone had left the lid up.
Once I got stuck in the cement mixer. I got my first bee sting on the front porch. Mr Diemer snorted Lime Kool-Aid out of his nose, a nose I later bloodied in a heated debate about whose father has the best. Mr. Woodruff stole my green sneakers. Sasha showed me her under things and her under the under things thing.
Mr Diemer and I convinced the girls to play spanking machine on picture day b/c they were in skirts.
Anyway,
I am conflicted about my feelings regarding Mrs. Leary's passing. On one hand, I don't recall her as sweet woman who opened her house to care for children. In my mind it was much more Dickensian. But I did meet a huge number of the friends the I still have today. With these friends came a vast chest of memories that was a large part of my Leary childhood. When I think of it that way Mrs. Leary's part in it was by accident. She never intended to mold children or what not. She watch kids for money and watched them at a (sometimes) safe distance. If not for her I might not have become as independent as I am. I might have relied more on others and been an entirely different person.
I am going to her calling hours to say good bye. I think her passing affects me, because a physical reminded of my childhood is gone. I am now in my 30's and have a child of my own. A child who is the about the same age I was when I started with Mrs. Leary.
So for good or ill, but mostly good,
God bless you Mrs. Leary.
Mrs. Leary, for those not in the know, ran a day care in her home before the government got all involved with child care. She would have between 12 and 20 kids of all ages. She provided no lunch or educational stimulation, save a rotten peanut butter sandwich and TV. She made the older kids clean her house while her son Jeff teased the rest of us to tears. She was known to lock the kids in backyard for all day in the summer come rain or come shine.
I remember being there and hating it. I was scared for my life on many occasions. My mother did not believe the conditions or treatment we suffered until year later when the group of us who met there kept telling the same stories over and again from our own vantage.
She had a Black Lab named Caesar who was HUGE and he would chase us an tackle us to the muddy ground. She had a pool table that we were not to touch, but did. She had a single cup in the bathroom for drinks of water. We all used it.
One time when I when to climb the toilet to turn on the bathroom light my leg went right on b/c someone had left the lid up.
Once I got stuck in the cement mixer. I got my first bee sting on the front porch. Mr Diemer snorted Lime Kool-Aid out of his nose, a nose I later bloodied in a heated debate about whose father has the best. Mr. Woodruff stole my green sneakers. Sasha showed me her under things and her under the under things thing.
Mr Diemer and I convinced the girls to play spanking machine on picture day b/c they were in skirts.
Anyway,
I am conflicted about my feelings regarding Mrs. Leary's passing. On one hand, I don't recall her as sweet woman who opened her house to care for children. In my mind it was much more Dickensian. But I did meet a huge number of the friends the I still have today. With these friends came a vast chest of memories that was a large part of my Leary childhood. When I think of it that way Mrs. Leary's part in it was by accident. She never intended to mold children or what not. She watch kids for money and watched them at a (sometimes) safe distance. If not for her I might not have become as independent as I am. I might have relied more on others and been an entirely different person.
I am going to her calling hours to say good bye. I think her passing affects me, because a physical reminded of my childhood is gone. I am now in my 30's and have a child of my own. A child who is the about the same age I was when I started with Mrs. Leary.
So for good or ill, but mostly good,
God bless you Mrs. Leary.
posted by Mr. Bebout at 3:35:00 PM
4 Comments:
At least someone liked it. Thank you.
I liked your post too. I can understand what you're feeling and why.
I attended the "Mrs. Leary's School For Future Day Care Workers." She will be sadly missed.
I was not aware her methods had been codified. She has created a legacy. And after you hit your charge with a shovel I can see you must have been a star pupil.
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