Last week, enjoying many a sight in Lake Buena Vista, FL including my child's face light up when he saw Mickey Mouse, I had the opportunity to observe the following:
A man and woman with SEVEN daughters in tow maneuvered about Magic Kingdom. The oldest of said daughters looked no more than nine or ten years old. Near the same intersection we were waiting for a train, Mom and Dad told the girls they had to be patient while they waited for "Grandpa and Grandma."
When Grandpa arrived, he was crotchety as all hell. The first thing he noticed was that all seven girls were wearing identical dresses.
Grandpa to the Mom: Why in the world are they wearing the same clothes?
The Mom (clearly his offspring): Because it gets really crowded here Dad, and this way it is easier for us to spot them.
Grandpa: How am I supposed to tell them apart?!?!?!?!
The Dad (also the son in law): Well, for starters, they have their own faces.
The Mom to The Dad: Brad!
My thought: HAHA...that's VERY funny, Brad! Which was gleefully expressed as I laughed OUT LOUD. The only thing that could enhance Disney World more than the crowds and lines would be a cantankerous Grandpa to boot. Hope you brought your Mickey flask, Brad. It is going to be a long day.
And all the more incentive that "Grandpa" can never come and live with you.
Oh that Brad.. Witnessing such ongoings really gives me the urge to secretly attach bugs to these people so I could continue eavesdropping. Just think about all you missed from their day!
ReplyDeleteOh sweet Disney World. I have never been there. I did go to Disney Land when I was 8 months old or so but my memories don't really kick in until I was 4 or so. My brothers and sisters all seem to have enjoyed it....
ReplyDeleteThis just in: Cantankerous Grandpa sightings have been reported from festive places and events worldwide. Moms and dads everywhere, having been asked about the phenomenon, have almost unanimously responded, "That's nothing. You should have had him for a father!"
ReplyDeleteLove that? Of course, Brad hadn't apparently considered the possibility that Grandpa maybe didn't see so well and colours were probably a heck of a lot easier to memorise and associate with a particular child when standing more than a couple of feet away??
ReplyDeletePoor Brad....LOL!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the morning laugh! Living a few miles from a lovely Sun City Community, I am all too familiar with this dynamic lol! Have a great week. Kathy
ReplyDeleteThe dad's reply is simply perfect. I now want to have some more babies, dress them all up the same and wait patiently for the prefect opportunity to use that line...
ReplyDeleteOh THAT was GRAND!! I'm still laughing so hard, I am having to backspace to spell correctly!! Thanks for the laugh out loud today, JennyMac!!
ReplyDeleteI love it ~~
ReplyDelete"they have their own faces" !!!
too funny ~~ Happy Monday to you!
xo Laura
Thank goodness Brad seems to have a sense of humor. He will need it with all those girls. And the sanitary product bills....
ReplyDeleteGotta love eavesdropping. :)
I think that is when grandpa should suggest the "wear nametags" idea. I think that would help me on somedays at family gatherings.
ReplyDeletePoor Brad. 7 daughters. One wife. He is sooo outnumbered.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine that they should buy into playtex/tampax stock.
simple solution, just call them all 'granddaughter'.
ReplyDeleteOMG I love Brad!
ReplyDeleteDid they rehearse that? Too perfect. Hope you enjoyed your stay in the land of the Mouse.
ReplyDelete-Diane
That is too funny! Poor Brad! Especially when they all get pms at the same time! lol
ReplyDeleteSooo... even if they wore different clothes, how exactly would grandpa tell them apart from one day to the next?
ReplyDeleteMy money is on 'nametags' for grandpa to remember.
That was funny, sometimes observing other people is worth the price of admission! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHa! Loved this! "...they have faces"
ReplyDeleteawesome!
LMAO!
ReplyDeleteI would have secretly stalked them so that I would hear whatever other snarkiness Brad decided to bite with!
nice one, Brad.
ReplyDeleteMickey flask...haha...you crack me up!
Brad probably just calls 'em by number anyway...
ReplyDelete:)
Perhaps he was cranky 'cause he was paying the admission for all, let see... *makes concentration face* 11 of 'em.
LMAO - Brad had to get one in, with 8 females in his house he is sorely hen-pecked I am sure. Give grandpa some kudos though at least he was at Disney World and interested in hanging with all those girls.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to say my FRATERNAL twin daughters are almost 4 years old and some of my in-laws STILL can't tell them apart (but joke it off, act like it was a mistake, etc.).
ReplyDeleteBut this story is great! We haven't attempted Disney yet, mostly because I picture hellish lines and pushy people, which are high up on my list of pet peeves...!
LMAO! That is hilarious!!
ReplyDeleteHa! I want to take my TWO kids to disney. :) I always love the state fair in Minnesota for the people watching :)
ReplyDeleteOK, that is hilarious. Eavesdropping at Disney is a whole new level of fun. Love it.
ReplyDeleteOh the matching clothes. Those girls will resent their parents for years to come for that! :)
ReplyDeleteApparently so will the granpa...
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!! Really Disney is the best place for people watching. We went to Disneyland Saturday night and I could write so many blog posts about the things I saw.
ReplyDeleteI am so not doing disney without a one to one adult to child ratio. So not. And crotchety grandpa? Great comic relief although I doubt his daughter thinks so. I think Brad was right on. I'm surprised she shushed him. Silly mom.
ReplyDeleteWow what ever happened to having 'empathy' for an elder?
ReplyDeleteIm thinking this Grandpa has the right to be grouchy if he wants; Im sure he's paid his dues!
Back in the 50's I remember being dressed alike with my older sister [she's 4 yrs older than me] frankly I think to save money!
"they have their own faces." LOL Too funny. And I'm at work. You should warn a person.
ReplyDeleteAnd I went straight to the Rocky Horror Picture Show (as I so often do):
ReplyDelete"Oh Brad."
"Oh, shit."
I just snorted.
ReplyDeletePoor, poor Brad.
ReplyDeleteAt least he kept his sense of humor.
Hilarious - hell I think my Grandpa said the same about just my sister and I!
ReplyDeleteThey have their own faces.
ReplyDeleteI too laughed outloud. Shame Brad couldn't hear me.
I dread the day when I'll have to drag the two clones to Disney world. Granted Orlando's not that far from Atlanta, but I dread it.
ReplyDelete-Joshua
LOVE IT! Great comeback, Brad :-)
ReplyDeleteI have witnessed the meanest family moments while at amusement parks. Ironic! The happiest places on earth can bring out the worst in some people. Holly:)
ReplyDeleteI *heart* Brad. (Though with seven kids in tow, sounds like I need to get in line ...)
ReplyDeleteHAHA!! Best answer ever Brad! I would have laughed out loud as well.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
Matching dresses, really? I bet those girls are glad they have Brad.
ReplyDeleteWell, for starters, they have their own faces. That's funny.
ReplyDeleteMatching dresses? The other option (at Disney, of course) would be to have them dressed as: Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy and Sneezy...
They have their own faces?
ReplyDeleteBrad's obviously not taking into account that Grandpa's vision is going. He can't be expected to remember their faces. Or names.
It'll be grandchild 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on and so forth.
I think that's what my grandfather secretly did (I have over 24 first cousins on my mother's side). Props to the parents for keeping track of their children, no matter how degrading it may be for them to all wear the same thing.
At least they didn't break out the baby leashes :)
7 girls under 10, crotchety pain-in-the-arse grandpa,lines and over-priced souvenirs...no wonder I drank on the job!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll grab my own flask [leather bound, not Mickey-emblazoned] and have one for Brad. Poor guy.
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Brad!! I personally dress my daughters in the same clothes all the time and have never had any trouble telling them apart. Thank goodness for individual faces!
ReplyDeleteI guess old Grandpa didn't like the Sound of Music either.
ReplyDeleteI've missed your stories! NaNoWriMo is keeping me so busy I haven't been able to visit in awhile.
ReplyDeleteYes, they all do have their own faces, but so do my sisters and I. Even though we are all two years apart and in our late 20's, we can still tell people we are triplets and they actually believe us.
I like this Brad! He's a good one!
ReplyDeletehahaa!! they have their own faces!! brad is a genius!! poor grandpa...they should have left him at home in the lazy boy...that's probably where he wanted to be anyway!
ReplyDeleteMm, I love Disney. Just me and Mickey and ten million people.
ReplyDeleteMy hubs and I know what's what - the first thing I'll do if he says his mother is coming to live with us is pack my bags. And I'll throw in the kids for him for free :)
These people need to be introduced to condoms. Who the hell can remember 7 grandchildren... at Disney World no less. If I was gramps, I would have told them to meet me over at Epcot in the British pub.
ReplyDeleteBrad quite clearly rules. How have you been JM? I haven't been over to many blogs lately, so have a bit to catch up on.
ReplyDeleteOh BRAD!!! Im sure she has said that a time or two (or 7 but who's counting)....Um- BUSTA GUT Jenny Mac cuz that is FUNN-EEE!
ReplyDeleteReason 296 I love Disney World - People Watching! Gotta love it!
ReplyDeleteYou should have high fived Brad. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteThey weren't sporting prairie dresses and shelf bangs were they?
ReplyDeleteCan't imagine what life must be like with 7 kids and thankfully, I'll never experience it, but I love Brad's retort.
ReplyDeleteHow funny! I've dressed my boys in the same color shirts before to keep from "losing" one! LOL
ReplyDeleteThat's hilarious! Way to go, Brad!
ReplyDeleteI've often told my hubby that he will be the cantankerous old person yelling at kids to keep off the lawn. And we will NEVER move to Florida (the heat and the bugs), so hopefully we'll avoid the whole Disney thing, like, forever.
When I retire, I'm moving to where it's even colder than Michigan so people won't want to visit. What a pair we'll be: cranky and unsociable!
Oh Brad! That was good! We went with crotchety Granddad and the flask would have been great..for any of us.
ReplyDelete:-) Could it be that the grandpa is the same "dad" on ShitMyDadSays on Twitter?
ReplyDeleteI admire your courage visiting Disney World. 1st trip? It definitely is the place for people watching.
ReplyDeleteI remember well...it was 1003 degrees, and just under 2 million people. There were lines just to get in line. Everyone around us was arguing and loudly. (Hold nothing back when you're hot and angry.) I thought to myself this is supposed to be the happiest place on earth.
Sounds like Brad knows how to 'deal' with the inlaws effectively.
that is pretty funny, and I can see why gramps was cranky, i hate disneyworld, which i know when i have kids i'll have to go, but for now, avoiding it! and when i do go, YES i will bring a flask :)
ReplyDeleteI'll have to assume that they invited her parents to help keep up with all those damn kids, but I'm with Grandpa. 7 little girls in the same dress is a bit much. It's sweet of Brad to be offended, though. You know he can't tell them apart either!!! Welcome home. I have an award for you
ReplyDeleteLOL, that was hilarious! grandpas will always make somebody crack up, i think.
ReplyDeleteHaha..I see you had an extra dose of amusement!
ReplyDeleteThe father has a great sense of humour!
Cheers
Deboshree
That's mean to mess with Grandpa like that!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is classic! It actually sounds like something my dad would say. My mom's mother was ornery. She kept telling my dad that he was just a bounce back boyfriend after mom broke off an engagement with my grandmother's favorite guy. On the wedding day grandmother said to dad, "I guess you'll have to call me something now. You may call me Mrs. Jones." My dad, ever so quick witted, said, "You can call me Lt. Smith."
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Brad sounds like my kinda guy!
ReplyDeleteGreat scenario-- CoTU (Center of the Universe) and I keep the 2-story house just so we know the in-laws can't move in here. Ever. No matter what.
ReplyDeleteAre you listening, Brad?
Amusing. One cannot imagine the redolent horror of attending such places regularly.
ReplyDeleteI think they do need valium at Disney world : ) I love that word: cantankerous.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad wants to be cantankerous when he is older. So funny!