Ghetto Mittens
(Missing from picture: Jessica, who was crouched down out of the way avoiding the camera's line of sight, sporting her own pair of ghetto mittens).
I guess I had suppressed this memory way down deep into the nether-regions of my grey matter because it's been about 32-33 years since I thought of those mittens since Jessica came up with the idea to wear them yesterday. I was transported back in time and the memory surfaced.
When I was around Jacob's age, living in the worst section of West Orange, NJ, my mom used to make me wear socks on my hands in the winter (we were poor). Nothing like being humiliated as a child.
Frustratingly enough, my own children never put their gloves where they belong and they get lost. Jessica knew it was shameful to wear the ghetto mittens, but she wanted to stay outside in the baddest way. Jacob seemed to think it was cool. I worry about that.....
posted by Shannon at
8:12 AM
17 Comments:
hey, I had a pair just like that when I was little. ;)
The only way they were ever more ghetto was when they had big ass holes in them.
By
Lea, at 12/19/2007 9:10 AM
LMAO! Right. Those holes are from when your hands would scrape the pavement trying to collect snow for a snowball.
By
Shannon, at 12/19/2007 9:25 AM
your kids are quite awesome. I can totally see that as being way cool when you're a kid.
By
Albert, at 12/19/2007 9:28 AM
I worry about you too, Albert ;)
By
Shannon, at 12/19/2007 9:28 AM
thanks, I appreciate it. =P
By
Albert, at 12/19/2007 9:33 AM
Snap! I had me some of them.
Worst section of West Orange? Does that mean you only had six bedrooms and four baths?
By
Carey, at 12/19/2007 9:40 AM
Ha! Yeah, and we shared it with 3 other families.
We lived on Washington Street where the dregs of society lived. But of course my family and I were not dregs.
By
Shannon, at 12/19/2007 9:47 AM
You know, I'm gonna use this tactic on my kids. Maybe they'll keep a better eye on where their mitts are! LOL.
Reminds me of a story my grandmother told me of when she was young. They were poor and she and her sister used to play "dress up". They had no high heels to wear, so they would put a pair of mittens on their feet (opposite of what your kids are doing there LOL) and pretend the thumbs were the heels (imagine this if you can). They had to walk on their toes, mind you, but she demonstrated this to me years ago and I almost peed myself laughing (try it if you want - it is funny).
By
Jamie, at 12/19/2007 10:48 AM
LMAO!!!! Ghetto Mittens!!! LOL
I have a bunch of those but they don't match!
By
George, at 12/19/2007 10:49 AM
I was born in Newark and lived in West Orange and then Bloomfield from 0 to five years old!
By
OhTheJoys, at 12/19/2007 11:40 AM
My son has a bad habit of wearing his Grandma's gloves.
By
Anonymous, at 12/19/2007 11:42 AM
I had me some of those gloves. To make them warmer/drier, we'd sometimes wrap plastic wrap or bags around our hands first - then the socks.
I still thinks it cool. Put me on the worry list.
By
Nicole P, at 12/19/2007 1:21 PM
Shannon,
Your kids are so cute & happy & funny. I love reading about them.
By
Donna, at 12/19/2007 6:46 PM
I love it. Were they "direct to hand" ghetto mittens, or did they spend some time on feet first?
By
Naomi, at 12/19/2007 9:14 PM
I echo Naomi's comment: Did those ghetto mittens hit the feet first?
Socks on hands or not, the kid is cute.
By
Kerri., at 12/20/2007 1:52 PM
LMAO, no. They're gray on the bottom.
Although a dirty sock on the floor is what inspired Jessica's idea.
By
Shannon, at 12/20/2007 1:55 PM
Socks on hands are called ghetto mittens?
Jacob is a doll!
Those blue eyes sparkle.
Ghetto mittens I wore those in the country all the time.
By
tongue in cheek, at 12/22/2007 5:43 AM
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