I’ve had the Donner Party on my mind as of late, after driving up to the pass and viewing the lake, seeing the memorial bridge. It’s a tragic story.
However, remembering the Donner Party always makes me laugh a bit at myself. When I was a child I suffered from a humorous misunderstanding.
We learned about the Donner Party in elementary school, but nobody explained to me they were in wagons. I thought they were traveling by train. In my head I had visions of a glamorous dining carriage with chandeliers dancing in the sway of the train. The men were all in tuxedos and the women in beautiful evening gowns with jewels and lace and bustles in the back. I imagined the pass filled up with snow and the train slamming into the snow, the cars going every which way and the people in truly dire straits. I imagined the survivors struggling through the snow with no food or water, the women in their ridiculous, heeled shoes and the men in their tails, shivering their way over the mountain.
That is not how it happened. I don’t know how long I operated under that understanding of the Donner Party, but it was for quite some years.
Let this be a lesson to you. Don’t assume your children understand what you’re talking about just because you understand. Explain, please.