Sleeping at Grandma's house, even though only 75 yards away from home, was always a big event. The prospect of staying up late, watching TV in bed, eating snacks "late" at night made the event much to look forward to. My mother, in particular, wasn't big on sleepovers. Staying up late wasn't an option and eating snacks in bed isn't something allowed in our house. (For the record, food in bed is not allowed in mine either.) She liked knowing all her children were home, and of course now that I'm a mom, I understand those feelings. Sleepovers with Grandma, however, were OK.
Of course dinner with Grandma started with Egg in a Cup; you can read that other story on this blog. Grandma had a small television in her kitchen on a wheeled cart. So not only did we watch TV during our meal, Grandma wheeled the TV into my bedroom for more TV watching later. How lucky was I!
My bedtime was quite early back then--about 8pm--and my mother felt pretty strongly about it. In turn, my grandmother felt pretty strongly about not having to argue with my mother if I was allowed to stay up late in her house. And she didn't want me or her to lie about what time I "was in bed." So exactly at 8pm, I "was in bed." Yup, teeth brushed, all cleaned up, in pajamas and under the covers. I "was in bed" promptly at 8pm. So this way, we were telling the truth, however partial, to my mom the next day when she asked, "What time did you go to bed?"
What wasn't asked was, "Did you watch TV in bed? Did you have a snack in bed and have to brush your teeth again? What time did the light get turned off?" So I guess that's how I learned how one avoids the truth through omission or how to manipulate the truth. Hmmm, doesn't sound very ethical, but it was sure fun! It was our little secret when Grandma and I had a sleepover.
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