Grasp your wrist-seeing if you can touch your thumb and middle finger together. Move your hand up slightly towards your elbow and see if you can still touch your middle finger and your thumb together. Ever how many times you can completely surround your wrist (or a friend’s wrist) with your finger and thumb equals how many children the person will have. At least that’s what I learned as a child.
Holding onto Chitter’s small wrist reminded me of this old piece of folklore from my childhood. Wondering if girls were still grasping each others wrists in anticipation of their future children I asked around to see-seems this bit of folklore is still alive and well in my part of Appalachia. How about where you live?
Tipper
Appalachia Through My Eyes – A series of photographs from my life in Southern Appalachia.
11 Comments
Suzi Phillips
September 18, 2013 at 7:23 pm3=3!
elithea
September 18, 2013 at 6:59 pmi have seven circles, but zero children, sorry.
my mother spent most of her childhood trying to kiss her elbow for that very reason!
Smallgood
September 18, 2013 at 2:03 pmI heard it growing up in Georgia. I have tiny wrists and can circle them multiple times, but no kids…yet.
Ken Roper
September 18, 2013 at 12:06 pmTipper,
I always felt sorry for you gals
with them little ole ‘baccer stick’
wrists.
Hey Jane…I musta kissed my elbows!
But right now, I need more coffee.
…Ken
Gina S
September 18, 2013 at 10:01 amMy paternal great-grandmothers must have had matchstick wrists and arms for both of them birthed and raised thirteen children. I’ve always felt a connection to Minerva Emmeline, who was the mother of my paternal grandfather. She and I share a birthday separated by 101 years. Although I cannot circle my wrist, I have two children.
Shirla
September 18, 2013 at 9:32 amI have never heard that one! I’m kinda glad I didn’t do that test when I was a teenager, as it might have scared me to death. You could have circled my arm all the way up to my shoulder. I blame my current wrist and arm size on having children. They can take responsibility for the gray hairs, too.
I love it when I hear someone besides my family use the words ‘ever how’ the same way I do.
Jane Bolden
September 18, 2013 at 7:55 amInteresting! Haven’t heard that one. This one my grandmother told me when I was a little girl.(more on the humorous side) If you kiss your elbow you’ll turn into a boy. ha,ha
b. Ruth
September 18, 2013 at 7:38 amTipper,
Oh my gosh, my children aren’t mine! I mean I didn’e bare them, I mean I must not of had them. I mean I am so confused! Are you sure this is true! I can’t even get my thumb and middle finger to touch at all!
Tell me this is a belated April’s Fool Joke!! According to the lore I was supposed to touch my finger and thumb twice! Help!
Wait just a minute! Let me ponder over this! I am 72…So I hope, guess, suppose, wonder, if that means I’m one, too old. Two, I have short fingers and thumbs or three, I have fat wrists??
Whew, that explains it!!
Thanks Tipper,
PS…My Mother’s wrists were so thin, now then, I wonder if I have siblings out there somewhere?
dolores
September 18, 2013 at 7:37 amI have not heard about that folklore, but I find it interesting. I also liked Chitter’s gold nail polish.
Jeanna M
September 18, 2013 at 7:26 amI have never been able to touch my fingers together and I had two children. My dd is the same and she wants 4 or 5 kids. So this is one folk saying I don ‘t believe. Still love your blog. 🙂
Sheryl Paul
September 18, 2013 at 7:18 amNever heard that one, but mine circles and I can move it up about halfway to my elbow. I have 3