Fun With Elmer!

[Chris Rathje]

I must dedicate this next story to my friend and neighbor Kelly. If she did not bust out the Elmer's glue the other day it would have taken me a long time to tell this story from the way back machine.

When I was in preschool and kindergarten one of my favorite things to do in the entire world was play with Elmer's glue. I was not the least bit crafty but I had an unusual way to entertain myself with it that adults had taught me.

I started going to physical, occupational and speech therapy when I was 18 months old. As part of my occupational therapy during my toddler and later days I was taught to rub Elmer's glue on my hands and then clap my hands together. Once the glue dried I would pick it off my hands. It was truly one of my favorite pastimes growing up. I vividly remember sitting in front of the TV at my white and red desk picking glue off my hands several times a week.

When I first entered a mainstream kindergarten I was blissfully oblivious to the fact that I was different than everybody else. I never knew how to walk or use my hands properly so I never missed it. In the first several weeks of kindergarten we were working on art projects using a wide variety of supplies. I had finished some drawing using markers and enthusiastically grabbed for my buddy Elmer's pick juice. Without any hesitation I started rubbing glue on my hands like I had hundreds of times before. The girl sitting across from me yelled "What are you doing?" I proceeded to stare right back at her and give her a funny look like, everybody does this silly.

That was one of the first times I got an inkling that I might be different. As I got older different grew to be worse, less or a negative connotation of special, but please learn from my mistake. If you do something differently than someone else you're just rocking out to a slightly different radio station, that's all. Frequencies to life are how people go down their path; there is no right or wrong. It didn't matter if other kids were weirded out by my glue picking because it worked for me.

I talked to an occupational therapist that works with kids a few months ago and I asked her if they still use the glue picking technique. She informed me that technology had advanced from that. That made me a little sad. I have a confidence in my right thumb and forefinger that I just don't have in my other eight fingers. I must thank my friend Elmer for his contribution to my success! Have the courage to pick glue no matter who is watching.

Thanks for reading!
Chris

Promoting Positivity One Read At A Time!

http://chrisrathje.blogspot.com

[Karl Martin]

Hi Chris,

You have a great memory. I have a difficult time remembering what I ate for dinner, and here you are recalling your kindergarten experiences. After reading your “hands on” glue therapy experiment, it actually triggered a childhood memory for me. I don’t have many so I have to treasure them. I can recall a type of pasty transparent white glue we used in an early grade, art class (not sure what age though). All I remember is my buddy and I dipping our paint brushes in the jar and trying some. I recall it being pretty tasty, something similar to rice pudding. I also remember feeling my face turning red when the teacher announced to the class “Now I don’t want to see anyone sticking glue in their mouth!” I have a feeling now that she had seen us, but was kind enough not to give us a scolding. We were actually pretty good kids, just a bit curious.

I wouldn't recommend tasting glue of any sort, especially today, as who knows what they put in the stuff now. I'm sure the children's glue they gave us to use way back then, was harmless (I hope). Amazingly I can still recall how it tasted, weird huh? I've got to go look for some dessert now. I wonder if there's any pudding around somewhere?

Oh and thanks for the story, I have learned a good lesson from you, and will find a way to be courageous, besides eating glue. Take care and I look forward to your next article.

Karl