Memory Monday: How Something Was Used Differently Over Five Generations

My granddaughter and her "rocket"

HOW SOMETHING WAS USED DIFFERENTLY OVER FIVE GENERATIONS

Years and years ago, my grandparents had a front parlor with a fireplace that had been converted with a gas heating stove in it. On the side of the fireplace, there was a set of brass fireplace tools. Years later, I inherited those tools from my parents. We used them whenever we had a fire in our fireplace—my children would poke and prod the logs, but the tools haven’t been used for several years since we very, very seldom light a fire anymore.

My grandparents never watched cartoons and while I grew up with Looney Tunes and Popeye (you know “I’m strong to the finish ‘cause I eat my spinach”). My children grew up with Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Lately, our granddaughter has started watching two animated shows—Little Einsteins (which has a rocket ship in it) and Wonder Pets (which has a boat with a flag, actually it is a mast, but my granddaughter calls it a flag).

The other day, she wanted to build a “rocket” with a flag. I got out a large cardboard tray—part of the packaging from when I ordered several large under-the-bed storage containers. My granddaughter “needed” a flag and something to hang it on. I stapled a couple of sheets of printer paper together but needed something to tape them to. When we got back to the tray, I saw our fireplace tools on the hearth. The holder would be perfect, so I took out the tools out of it and put it on the cardboard tray. My granddaughter loved it. She stood on it with her hands on either side of the holder and “flew” her rocket. Later, she sat and tried to use the fireplace shovel as an oar--we had to stop that since the edge of her oar was digging into our carpet.

As I watched my granddaughter play, I realized that the fireplace tool tools had been used by five generations. I wonder--will they be used by a sixth generation? Or a seventh? And what will they be used for?