The Glass Castle: Memoir Connections

The earliest memory I have is when I was about four. It was summer and my family and a bunch of our family friends were at Minot beach in Scituate, MA. The other families had kids older than me. My older sister was 6 and there were other kids 7 or 8. I would always try to keep up with them. That day all the big kids were playing on giant rock that I wasnt allowed to go on. All I got to do was play in the little tide pool next to it. Anyways I guess someone fell and got a big gash on his leg after he slipped and fell on a crack in the rock. The lifeguard and parents were rushing to help him. I obviously was intrigued, so I ran over to the side of the huge forbidden rock and, like any other curious four year old, I started to climb up the side. Eveyone was preoccupied worried about the boy's bleeding cut that at first nobody noticed me. I was pretty high off the ground and I felt unstoppable. But my adventure was cut short when my mom's friend Martha grabbed me off the rock and started firmly telling me not to do that ever again. I was furiously embarrassed, she wasn't my mother and she had no right telling me what to do. Now the crowd was looking at me as u got yelled at. My pale irish skin on my face soon turned bright red. I wiggled my way out of Martha's arms and ran to my momther who was waiting to do her share of scolding. That night, as I was getting ready for a bath, I started crying because I wasn't a big kid and I was being held back because of it. 

When I asked to think about my first memory I can remember how I felt about it then but also look at in a new light and a new understanding. Looking back on that day I realize that Martha and my mom were only looking out for me. I have a lot of young cousins and when I'm with them I'm always watching them making sure they aren't doing anything dangerous. At age four I don't think I was thinking about the danger of what I was doing rather than the adventure and the thrill. I have always been a Curious George but back then I didn't know when I should and shouldn't poke my nose into things.