Gun Start
David was a perfect child. Just ask his mother. “If you have a perfect child,” she once said, “then you have a problem child.” She spoke from experience rising three boys including David.
Terry, six years older than David, was a well liked kid. As a toddler, Terry was a gorgeous baby. His soft flowing bright blond hair was eye-catching in itself, although his vivid deep blue eyes and the innocence smile with his his thick lips made the model-like package all the more striking. Terry’s earlier year had a husky built, sort of like a football player, who then grew tall and was perfect built for basketball. Terry hated playing basketball.
Terry, six years older than David, was a well liked kid. As a toddler, Terry was a gorgeous baby. His soft flowing bright blond hair was eye-catching in itself, although his vivid deep blue eyes and the innocence smile with his his thick lips made the model-like package all the more striking. Terry’s earlier year had a husky built, sort of like a football player, who then grew tall and was perfect built for basketball. Terry hated playing basketball.
[Pictured: Terry holding baby Richard, and David on left]
Richard was two years younger than David. Being closer in age, Richard and David did a lot together in their early year, even though they were poles apart with very different personalities. Richard was also well liked by his peer due to his kindhearted and generous personality. In fact, once he gave the coat off his back to a kid who was neglected a warm coat for the winter since his family was poverty-stricken. It is not as Richard’s parents paid for his coat to give away. Richard was rather good with his finance from odd jobs and his one dollar a week allowance. He purchased a thinner spring coat to replace the nicer winter coat that he gave away. His parents were not pleased with such a light coat for the winter. Richard convinced his parent that the coat was perfect for winter that he would wear a heavy wool shirt and up to two sweaters depending on the temperature. Regardless of how cold it was outside, Richard’s compassionate heart kept him warm.
Now, David was quite unique in comparison to his two brothers. He did not talk to anyone except his family. In fact, he didn’t start talking until he was seven. David’s mother was enormously worried about him. He was very unlike Terry, his older brother. Such as when nursing on his mother’s breast, David would stare off into another world. His mother sometimes would give a gentle pat to wake him reminding that there was a boob full of milk with his name on it. She brought her concerns to the doctor.
“Terry wasn’t like this. What’s wrong with my baby?”
Now mind you, this was the age of Dr. Spock and his baby books. The 1950s was a time that families were scattered all over the country. Many took advantage of the GI War Bill having their new homes far away from their childhood dwelling, far away from the advice of their mothers and grandmothers.
“Some baby,” the doctor responses to her question, “know that you love them just by feeding them and changing their diapers. Some have to be told out loud that they are loved. Just hug him more and tell him you love him will do the trick.”
From then on, instead of patting David to attention, she swaged side to side saying, “I love you David!” It worked. The Gunnell family became a family that said, “I love you” many times a day. Now this might not seem odd. However, most families may say “I love you” only when greeting each other or during farewells. In the Gunnell household, saying, “I love you” was like breathing. For an example: David’s mother might ask, “Terry, could you please pass the salt?”And Terry would pass it to her, answering back, “Here you go.” And what became a typical saying, she would come back with, “Thank you… I love you.” “I love you too,” would be the reply. “I love you” substituting “thank you,” or “please.”
“Could you pass the salt? …I love you.”
Now this is not a bad practice, nor diminution the family’s love towards each other. However, it did have its effects on those that David and his brothers dated. If their girlfriends did not say “I love you” at least once every ten minutes, it was then thought they were mad or that they did not love them. Nevertheless, David and his brothers are the romantics that they are, maybe from this ongoing verbal statement or from their father. He was the King of Romance.
Richard was two years younger than David. Being closer in age, Richard and David did a lot together in their early year, even though they were poles apart with very different personalities. Richard was also well liked by his peer due to his kindhearted and generous personality. In fact, once he gave the coat off his back to a kid who was neglected a warm coat for the winter since his family was poverty-stricken. It is not as Richard’s parents paid for his coat to give away. Richard was rather good with his finance from odd jobs and his one dollar a week allowance. He purchased a thinner spring coat to replace the nicer winter coat that he gave away. His parents were not pleased with such a light coat for the winter. Richard convinced his parent that the coat was perfect for winter that he would wear a heavy wool shirt and up to two sweaters depending on the temperature. Regardless of how cold it was outside, Richard’s compassionate heart kept him warm.
Now, David was quite unique in comparison to his two brothers. He did not talk to anyone except his family. In fact, he didn’t start talking until he was seven. David’s mother was enormously worried about him. He was very unlike Terry, his older brother. Such as when nursing on his mother’s breast, David would stare off into another world. His mother sometimes would give a gentle pat to wake him reminding that there was a boob full of milk with his name on it. She brought her concerns to the doctor.
“Terry wasn’t like this. What’s wrong with my baby?”
Now mind you, this was the age of Dr. Spock and his baby books. The 1950s was a time that families were scattered all over the country. Many took advantage of the GI War Bill having their new homes far away from their childhood dwelling, far away from the advice of their mothers and grandmothers.
“Some baby,” the doctor responses to her question, “know that you love them just by feeding them and changing their diapers. Some have to be told out loud that they are loved. Just hug him more and tell him you love him will do the trick.”
From then on, instead of patting David to attention, she swaged side to side saying, “I love you David!” It worked. The Gunnell family became a family that said, “I love you” many times a day. Now this might not seem odd. However, most families may say “I love you” only when greeting each other or during farewells. In the Gunnell household, saying, “I love you” was like breathing. For an example: David’s mother might ask, “Terry, could you please pass the salt?”And Terry would pass it to her, answering back, “Here you go.” And what became a typical saying, she would come back with, “Thank you… I love you.” “I love you too,” would be the reply. “I love you” substituting “thank you,” or “please.”
“Could you pass the salt? …I love you.”
Now this is not a bad practice, nor diminution the family’s love towards each other. However, it did have its effects on those that David and his brothers dated. If their girlfriends did not say “I love you” at least once every ten minutes, it was then thought they were mad or that they did not love them. Nevertheless, David and his brothers are the romantics that they are, maybe from this ongoing verbal statement or from their father. He was the King of Romance.