Having grown up in the South (yes, I lost my accent, thank you), one is exposed to many momalies or “old wives’ tales.”<\/p>\n
1. Don’t look at a monkey while you are pregnant, or you will surely “mark” the baby. That means, your kid will come out looking like the latest arrival at Monkey Jungle.<\/p>\n
2. Don’t stretch upward while you are pregnant or you’ll tangle the umbilical cord around the baby’s neck.<\/p>\n
When I was “with child<\/em>,” (29 years ago) I challenged my grandmother on No. 1. Her response was, “I wouldn’t want to look at a monkey anyway — and by the way, Aunt Thelma Lou looked at a monkey while she was carrying your cousin Bill, and I swear he looked just like a monkey. It must be true. She marked that baby — for life.”<\/p>\n “Come no, Grannie.”<\/p>\n “Then why did the porter on the train offer her a banana for her pet monkey?”<\/p>\n ________________________ <\/p>\n Some of these wives’ tales have some truth to them. One that has held true for me throughout my life has been the itching left hand. <\/p>\n
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<\/a>ng into money.<\/p>\n