It’s a simple little game, something we all delight in, and oooh and ahhh over. We can’t believe how enjoyable it is. We all do it – it’s not just restricted to parents – but for parents it’s something really special. Let’s play a few short rounds of “remember when”.

Round 1

“Remember when we used to sleep in until 11am?”
“Ohhhhh.” [closes eyes in bliss] “What did we do with the day?”
“We slept, we ate, we boozed.”
“Wow, what a waste of a day.” [pair laugh hysterically, bordering on mournfully]

Round 2

“Remember when we could get up in the morning without preparing someone breakfast?” [other person leans forward eagerly, and with excitement]
“Yes! In fact, there was no breakfast!”
[in amazement] “No breakfast.” [pair sit side by side, imagining a certain kind of utopia]

Round 3

“Remember the movies?”
“Oooh … the movies!” [smacks head like they forgot they existed]
“And choc tops.”
“Yes! And wine at the cinema.”
“Remember when we would just go to the cinema on a Sunday because we were bored?” [Sigh]
“Can you imagine having that much time?”

Round 4

“Remember when we used to just go out after work?”
“What did we do?”
“Dinner, drinks … hey, remember when we used to know where to go to have dinner and drinks?”
“Wow. I wouldn’t know where to go now. Hey, hey, remember when we used to eat at places after 5.30pm? Without a high chair?”
“Do these places still exist?”
“I don’t know. They might have died out with our social life.”

Round 5

“Remember when we didn’t have the baby and we did all this stuff all the time, and we had disposable income and we travelled, and we had no responsibilities at all?” [sigh]
“Yes.”
“I’m so glad we had her.”
“Me too.”
“It’s so much more fun.”

And, no, I didn’t end on a cheesy note to feel better. Remember When just always seems to end like that.

Next: A weekend away with a one-year-old

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