Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Dog House

Before you read the rest of this post you need to think for a second. Do you know the name of your mom's high school?

Do you know the answer? Be honest, and answer in the comments with a simple Yes or No. YES you do know the name of the high school your mom attended or NO you do not know the name.
This is for scientific purposes so be honest.

The other night Lauren and I were talking about our parents and the fact that they each grew up (for the most part) in different parts of Philly. Lauren asked me where my mom grew up and I drew a blank. She then asked me what high school my mom attended and I did not know. It was no big deal. Since I have a great relationship with my parents I decided to call them and ask. Their machine picked up and I started to leave a message asking where my mom grew up and what high school she attended when my dad picked up the phone.

I chatted with him for a minute and then told him the purpose of my call. He told me my mom grew up in the Olney section of Philadelphia and that she attended Cardinal Dougherty H.S. We talked for a few more minutes and said good-bye. The conversation was pleasant and direct and very matter of fact. There was no hint of any possible disbelief on my dad's part about the fact that I did not know where my mom was from.

That was Saturday night.

Monday evening I received a phone call from my brother the LawnWhisperer. He was not very happy with me. This is the conversation.

Bill: Yo.
LW: Yo.
Bill: What's up?
LW: How could you NOT know where mom went to high school?
Bill: I don't know. I just didn't know. Why?
LW: Well you got me in trouble with mom. Thanks.
Bill: How did I get you in trouble?
LW: I am in the doghouse. Do you remember how mom used to have those pictures of the doghouse with the little wooden dogs with all of our names on it and if we were bad she would hang our name inside the doghouse so everyone would know we were in trouble.
Bill: Yeah.
LW: I think she is breaking that out again and putting both of us in it.

LawnWhisperer then went on to explain how my Dad found it funny that I did not know where my mom was from. When my mom got home Saturday evening my dad told her about my call. He then played the partial message I left on their machine. He thought it was funny that I did not know where she grew up. My mom was not too pleased. She claimed that every one of her children would know the answer to that question; that every one of her kids SHOULD know the answer. My dad decided to test all of their children. My dad called each of his kids and asked. Every one knew where my mom grew up and where she went to high school.

Everyone but me.

And LawnWhisperer.

Of course my dad had to tell my mom the results of his survey.

Now my mom is upset with the LawnWhisperer as well. LW is now upset with me. Because if I never called my Dad and asked the question he would never have called all my siblings and it would never have come out that LW did not know the answer.

Now in defense of LW and myself, we are the middle children. Out of the nine kids, my brother Dan, LW and myself are the middle three. Yes Dan did know the answer but I am sure that is due to the fact that my Mom probably stopped paying attention to the kids after Dan and started paying attention, again, after me. She probably told all kind of wonderful bedtimes stories about the glory days at Cardinal Dougherty. The problem is that as she gathered all the kids around to hear the stories of her and Kathy G, her best friend, my mom most likely forgot to invite LW and myself.

As far as the reason why I forgot my mom was from Olney it is quite simple. My mom is beautiful. Absolutely stunning and she has a radiant smile. Now the saying goes, you know someone from Olney invented Toothpaste, other wise they would have called it Teethpaste. (Give it a minute it will sink in). I only thought ugly people came from Olney. So there is no way my Mom could have been from that part of Philly.

So what’s the point of this whole post? I will break it down.

1. Do you know where your mom went to high school?

2. One of my dad’s favorite sayings is “I am perfectly capable of starting my own fights with your mother. I don’t need your help.” I would like to say to him: Dad I am perfectly capable of getting mom mad at me on my own. I don’t need your help.

3. Mom, I may not know where you grew up or where you went to high school, but I do know that your favorite movie is Witness with Harrison Ford, Your favorite color is green, your favorite TV show of all time is Magnum P.I. and your favorite son is Jimmy. I bet LW did not know any of those tidbits of info. (Except the Jimmy thing).

73 comments:

Unknown said...

Yes, I know the name of the high school my Mom went to and where she grew up.

No, I do not know the name of the high school my Bio-Mom went to, but Yes, I know where she grew up. ;)

I guess I sorta cancel myself out there, don't I? ;)

Michelle said...

Yes, for both my mom and my mother-in-law. I know their hometowns and high schools.

Poor Bill and LW!

Kate Giovinco Photography said...

Yes

My grandma had the wooden dog house with the little names! Yep we loved it when my dad was in the dog house!

I love your dad he is a riot!

Anonymous said...

Look at you, trying to suck up to your mom now! And you're throwing LW under the bus while you're at it. Way to go! :)

Yes, I know where my mom grew up and went to school (because I went there too). Step-mom? Check. Mother-in-law? Oh yeah, three for three!

Julie said...

Yes, I do know the name of my mom's HS. Mainly b/c she used to drag us up to NY for every damn reunion. Want me to make you feel worse? I even know the school's fight song - again, the damn reunions.

Anonymous said...

No, I do not know the name of my mother's high school.

I do know where she grew up, kind of. They moved around alot.

I think knowing her most personal issues, like her favorite movie, etc. is more important. and unles she specifically told you where she grew up and went to school, HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THIS??

Meegs said...

Hmm... I know where she great up, and where she went to college, but can't remember right now where she went to High School.

Honestly, I don't think she'd care. I know more important things (same as you).

Meegs said...

*great = grew

Jaime said...

I know where my mom grew up and went to school. But, to be fair, it's because I went to the same school. We even had some of the same teachers!

Anonymous said...

Yes.. I know both... And my mom doesn't have a little wooden dog house. I guess she never needed it for me. :)

Anonymous said...

I had to think about it.. but yes I know both. I'm an only tho - so I didn't have any choice - I heard it all growing up. Good question!

ToadyJoe said...

Yep, I know. But only because my grandparents lived in that same town til I was 30 years old, and we'd drive by that high school at least once a year and someone was always bound to point out that that's where my mom went, lol.

And my grandparents' neighbors had one of those doghouse things. They had a daughter my age, and Maryann and I loved to grab one of her sisters' dogs and put them in the doghouse when we walked by. Just to see if anyone noticed, lol. I was jealous, because I was an only child of a single mom (at the time) and it just wouldn't have worked out well for me to have one of those doghouse things at my house. There were only so many 'dogs' to be in the doghouse and the odds would not have been in my favor at home! Thanks for the memories!

Ex-playgroup mommy said...

My mom grew up in Kengsington and went to St. Boniface -- I don't know if I am spelling that correctly.

My dad great up in Olney and went to St. Joe's Prep and Roman.

I also went to CDHS -- but graduated much after your mom. I started there the year they went co-ed.

Anonymous said...

Hey Dad,

Jack Biehl says hi!

Anonymous said...

Ex Playground Group Mommy,

What is with the MUCH? as in "graduated MUCH after your Mom"

Jody said...

I do know the name of my mom's high school. My grandparents still live on the same farm she grew up on. I can even tell you where my grandmother went to school. :)

Katie said...

Yes, I know where my mom went to High School - I went to the same one, and my daughter will be there next year! Oh, and my Grandma went to the same city schools.. but they built new ones, so the physical building was different. But the same name. :) My Grandma has lived in the same house since she was 8 years old.

mr. big dubya said...

Yes - I do know - though I'm probably the only one of the three sons that does. Let's not get into the whole first born, always have to please discussion.

Anonymous said...

For the purposes of your survey: yes i know which highschool my mom attended. It's called "Embassy School of Pakistan" in Jakarta, Indonesia. It's strange that you should write about this topic because i only found out the name of her highschool about three days ago. If you had asked me then, i'd have had to say 'no'. But since you're asking me today, i do know NOW.

OhTheJoys said...

Moms are easy to upset... I should know.

Anonymous said...

yes i know the name of the high school..... but only after a few moments of thought because it was kind of a weird name.

i can't list very many personal things about my mom like you can and that's more important than the name of her high school. so i think you should be let out of the doghouse.

Effie said...

Yes. But in all honesty, I had to think for a couple of seconds.

And I know where my Dad went to highschool too. And I could show you the houses where they each grew up.

Denise B. said...

Yes, I know which high school my mom went to, but it is the same as the one I went to, so there's really no challenge there. My mom and I grew up in the same town.

Really, I think that only two of nine children forgetting where she grew up is pretty good.

Anonymous said...

No idea - NONE - as to where my mom went to High School. Or my dad for that matter.

Can you blame me for making this comment anonymous?

Charlotte in Pa said...

Sorry, Bill... I know where both of my parents grew up and went to school. But then, my head is FULL of useless information. :-)

phsymom said...

Yes I know my mom went to Milby High School Houston Texas. Now as for my dad ... I haven't a clue.

Anonymous said...

Yes. I did grow up in the same town as my Mom but she went to the Catholic schools while I went to public. Hope you get out of the doghouse soon! I'm sure the sucking up at the end of your article will help.

Keri said...

HUH? I only know that my parents grew up mostly in the Rochester area. I have NO clue where they went in high school. I don't even remember what college they went to!!! Although I do know where my parents were born (have to because of my birth certificate and passport).

Maybe it's a hearing/Deaf thing? My parents are hearing while my bro and I are Deaf. Even though my son is hearing, he will MOST definitely know where his parents went to high school because that kind of information is very important in the Deaf culture. When meeting other Deaf people, it forms a bond when we find out we know the same person or we graduated from the same Deaf high school. If my parents were Deaf, I would know where they graduated from high school AND college. =P

Kami said...

No, but I know where she grew up.

Great story. I want to be adopted into your family. PLEASE.

Anonymous said...

yes, i know where and what highschool for both mom and dad

Stella said...

Yup-I know, only because we went to the same high school.

Maybe you and LW should take mom out to lunch or something, so you guys can get out of the doghouse...lol.

Anonymous said...

I know where my Dad went to high school, but not my mom. My dad had his yearbooks & my mom didn't - I don't think her high school in Japan had them. I know where both grew up, though. I also know dad's college & grad school.

Nice suck-up comments. Does that REALLY help you get out of the dog house?

Anonymous said...

yes

Anonymous said...

Yes. And even though our mothers are sisters, they grew up in different places and went to different highschools. your mom was #1, mine is #7. by the time #7 rolled around they had moved.

Me said...

Just FYI: Poop and Boogies was named "Blog of the Day" at I Found It On The Internet. Congrats and great blog.

ifioti.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Yes to both. I went to the same HS as my mom. Also, I am from St. Louis, MO and everyone asks "Where did you go to High School?" It's a St. Louis thing.

Anonymous said...

No, I don't know for either of my parents. In my mother's case it's because she travelled a lot all round the world when she was younger. In my father's case? Um, I have no excuse... I'll join you and LW in the doghouse!

N said...

YES.

Olney, huh? Your mom must be one tough chic!

Anonymous said...

I love your family.

And I do know where my mom grew up and went to high school. But we still have family in that area and I've been there several times, which makes it easier.

eclectic said...

You know what's really going to make you look bad? Dude, I don't even know your mom, but even I know what high school she attended, AND where she grew up.

Anonymous said...

Yes

Miss Magic said...

De-lurking for scientific purposes...
yes, I do know where my mom went to high school. Only because she gave me her "letter sweater" from glee club, and I wore it, 20-something years after she did. What a dork.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I know the schools and hometowns of both my Mom and my MIL. I also know where both my Dad and my FIL went to school and grew up.
Monica

Anonymous said...

No, I don't know where she went to High School.
I know where she grew up, however.


However, you're still in the doghouse.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I know where both my parents went to high school.Glad to share "favorite" movie with you, Steve. You were probably taking another survey, William, when I told you my favorites. Now they are all over America and foreign lands. Some info is pertinent, and some trivial... guess what you know the answers to. Lucky for you, that because of me, you got "blog of the day". You remain in the dog house.( if Luna will share)

MrsDoF said...

Yes, I do know where my mother went to high school.
I am also a graduate of the same high school, and had a few of the same teachers (one who called me by my mother's name because she said we look so much alike at that age).

My mother graduated the same year as the guy who was the principal when I was there.
My sister graduated the same year as the guy who is the principal now.

In fact, my mother and I go to the Alumni Banquet together every year.

It was/is a small town.
I can't imagine trying to keep track of a city school district.

I love the quote you give back to your dad.
I'm sure trouble finds you often enuff without any aides at all.

Anonymous said...

yes.
mom: went to germantown high. grew up in strawberry mansion.
dad: went to central. grew up in strawberry mansion.

it's kind of a two for one b/c they grew up across the street from each other. kind of like you and mr. miyagi. i'm still surprised you two didn't marry each other.

Anonymous said...

Tori-We lived together and decided it was best to part ways.

Anonymous said...

yes. Ridgemont High..Ohio.
shame on you...I bet Jimmy never forgot things like that..
;P
Stacie

Anonymous said...

I know where my mother grew up and I know exactly where the school is geographically speaking, but I can't think of the actual name at the moment.

Susie said...

I know where my mom grew up, but not the name of her high school (I could make a decent guess, though). And I do not get the Olney teethpaste thing. At all. But I would back you up on the pathetic, neglected middle children thing. That's good; work it.

t-bird said...

yep, my mom and dad went to the same school. my grandemothers both lived in the streets righ behind the school so it was hard to miss. plus i loved looking through mom's yearbooks when i was young.

Just Jan said...

Yes, I know where my Mom grew up and attended high school. Hope you guys get out of the dog house soon.

Michelle said...

Yes. My mom attended 2 different high school, she moved right before her senior year. I know the names of both towns and both high schools. Shame, shame, shame on you and LW. Go and hide in the dog house.

Anonymous said...

Big ol' Yes! But I can pretty much guarantee my husband has NO CLUE about his mother's high school.

Annie said...

For purely scientific purposes -

Yes, I know where both of my parents went to high school. They actually went to school together... high school sweethearts and everything. You ought to see their prom picture... my dad with his afro and his pastel blue tux and my mom... well, you get the picture.

oh, and momo9, IF Luna will share?? Luna would give her right paw to get that sort of attention… not that anyone could fit in any doghouse with her. Have you seen the size of that thing?? You better just keep Bill in the proverbial doghouse. Luna might suffocate him.

Charlotte in Pa said...

Susie... the joke is that people from Olney only have one tooth - thus, TOOTHpaste. If they had more, they might have named it TEETHpaste. Around Philly, people joke about Olney the way many people joke about hillbillies. It's a cruel, cruel world. IF you live in Olney.

Anonymous said...

Mom was from Mars and graduated from Mars High School.

She grew up in Mars and the outlying areas.

Anonymous said...

My mother went to Ranier Beach. The only reason I remember that is because it's a beer (or was) and it's a beach. My two favorite things. My dad and I went to the same crappy little high school. I suppose I get no points for that one. I know that my mother graduated in 69. My father graduated sometime in the mid 60's but I can't remember the year. I only ever remember how old he is by adding 30 to my age. Pathetic, huh?
Congrats on the blog of the day (even if it's a day late).

Stepping Over the Junk said...

I'm lucky, I went to the same highschool my mom went to...I even had two teachers that she and my uncle had! But I don't know what her favorite tv show is, because she watches too many. My sister and I on occasion get each other into trouble without knowing it, like this whole exchange of yours. I sometimes call her to make sure she knows EVERYTHING I know regarding my mom and anything i have said or asked just so she can prepare herself for when she is pulled into it.

Anonymous said...

No. St. Something or other, but that's probably not good enough.

Unknown said...

Yes. Scarsdale High School. Dad too.

Love the Olney joke.

Andrea said...

My mom (and dad) and I went to the SAME high school (but mine was a newer building in a different location...)

Anonymous said...

Yes I know where my mother went to school.

Anonymous said...

Delurking from Las Vegas to answer the survey. My mom went to Mission High (a la Mission church) and My Dad to Catholic Memorial, both in Boston. Had to think to remember but I do know

Kandice said...

I know where my parents grew up and I know my dad's high school (because it's the only one in the whole town) and I've seen my mom's high school, but I can't remember the name of it.

Is this really that big of a deal? I went to four different high schools (we moved a lot). I certainly wouldn't expect my kids to know where I went to high school. Or the list of the five million places I grew up.

Jay said...

Yeah, but does your mom know where you were during high school? I bet mine doesn't (at least I hope not).

Anonymous said...

I didn't think I could like your Mom even more than I already do, but my all time favorite show is Magnum PI too (but mine is for more pervy reasons, I'm sure...Tom Selleck = Hubba Hubba, ohMY!)

Yes, I know where my Mom grew up and where she went to high school AND they are NOT one in the same (as she moved right after middle school and ended up going to a high school in a totally different part of the state)

Anonymous said...

"I only thought ugly people came from Olney. So there is no way my Mom could have been from that part of Philly."

It so happens I do know the name of my mom's high school. And dad's too. They both went to... OLNEY HIGH SCHOOL. They both spent the latter part of their growing up years in... OLNEY. So now in addition to upsetting your own mother, you've insulted both of my parents. It's a pity, because they always liked you. "Batman," my mom calls you. She is going to be so hurt...

kittenpie said...

Yes, I do know the name of the high school where my mom went.

To be fair, though, I'll add that I do not know the names of the high schools where either one of my dads went.

Anonymous said...

yes...

here today, gone tomorrow said...

I'm the oldest of four which means I was the helpmate/slave/in-house on-demand babysitter, and I have it direct from the source that I am the favorite, and that excuses me from not knowing the name of my Mom's high school. I hope.

Bogart said...

Nope, but in my defense, mom did move a lot. Gramps was a pastor...one that specialized in reviving dying churches...he woulg go to a church that was close to death, restructure and rebuild the congregation, then hand off the reigns to a pastor that would then maintain or grow what gramps nursed back to health. Usually took 2 years and then he would be off to the next church that needed ICU help.

They were all over...Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, California, Minnesota, etc...she was born in Cape Giradeau, MO and got her BS and Masters in CA...I can name those schools...I can even name the HS that Gramps graduated from...does that count?