the Mickey Mouse Club?
American Bandstand?
Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and the Lone Ranger?
playing hopscotch on the sidewalk?
going barefoot?
playing softball in a field?
catching fireflies?
going to drive-in movies?
penny loafers?
riding your bike?
playing with paper dolls?
going to the store with a nickle and getting a hand full of candy?
the whole family playing Monopoly together?
cooling off in the creek on a hot summer afternoon?
making homemade ice cream?
picking wild flowers for your Mother?
dancing in the rain?
If you remember any of these, then like me you grew up in a time different from today. It was a time when children had simple, clean fun. They felt safe to roam the neighborhood and could play outside after dark. There was no stress - life was fun. Parents were obeyed (usually), and elders were respected. It was a good time to grow up.
What memories do you have of your childhood?
16 comments:
It's funny I have a feeling there's a bit of an age gap between us, but I had these same experiences.
Not only did I grow up in Rocky Mount, which is still a very safe place for kids to roam about their neighborhood and play outside, but I was raised largely by my grandmother when I was young, who still believed life should be the way you describe: simple, clean, and fun. I am thankful for her approach to my childhood every day.
My brother and I spent our days outside, catching fireflies, throwing softballs, playing in a sandbox, wading in a creek, riding bikes or sleds, playing hockey in the street with the neighbors. If we were inside we were playing board games, building cushion forts, learning to cook. We got switched when we were bad, hugs and kisses every day. You did NOT say a cross word to Nanny. Period.
At home with my parents we did have video games and watched a lot of TV, but there was no less love. My father is an avid outdoorsman and he taught me what you can eat in our woods, how to tell the trees apart, how to grow your own food, how to hunt and fish. He tried to teach my brother these things, but he really had no interest.
My only wish is that my grandmother had lived a bit longer. My brother was so very young when she died, I'm afraid he never appreciated the life she tried to show us. He's rather...spoiled. I love him to death, but he has no love of things simple and clean. He prefers technology, instant gratification. He rarely even picks up a book.
I often feel like a girl out of time. My mind is too old for my body. :)
~Tara
Wow, I did all of those. Thanks for the smile trip.
The day I saw a girl riding horse back with reins loose while she was texting, made me realize those times were gone. They really are missing a lot aren't they?
Yes, it certainly is a different world from when we were children. However, I did expose my daughters to the joy of many of the things on your wonderful list. Hoping they will remember to let their children be children.
Yeah! I did all but two. I never learned to swim, so no cooling off in the creek-I lived in a town anyway.
I don't remember picking wildflowers for my mother but I may have. I was allergic to a lot of stuff.
I remember walking in the rain, not dancing. I had to walk home from school.
But a nice trip down memory lane. Ah Life seemed so simple, and so inexpensive to satisfy.
Oh Yes!! I remember all of those. I used to be able to walk anywhere without fear -- even would take the train into center city Phila. without fear.
This was a good time to be a child. In Texas, my daily friend was a horned (horny) toad. They were actually a form of lizard, don't know how they became known as toads, but they were round like a toad and fit nicely in the palm of your hand. I would turn them on their backs in one hand and rub their soft belly with the other hand. On the ground they stayed near me while I played. The next day I would catch a new one and start the process again. Sadly those toads are almost extinct these days.
Oka, you can tell we are in a similar age group as I remember all EXCEPT swimming in a creek, and making homemade ice cream...LOL
Oh yeah, I remember those things. I wish my kids could experience them too. Childhood is so different now.
Yes to all except, I never wore penny loafers or played with paper dolls :-)
I was just telling Kurt that we're all doing too much on the computers, the whole family, when we should be outside actually doing activities. And making memories.
You made me remember playing with Colorforms. I loved those! Growing up in Jersey City, I played a lot of hopscotch. We also played handball against the brick buildings. And stick ball. And double-dutch (with jump ropes).
I remember picking pussywillows for my mother. I haven't seen them since childhood. I remember sneaking downstairs at dawn and going outside to the little patch of grass between the sidewalk and the street and catching those little white butterflies in a mayonnaise jar. I cut my foot. It was bleeding profusely and I had to hop back upstairs, trailing blood along the way, scared I was going to get in trouble for sneaking out. Nah. Mom just fixed it up for me.
I remember stepping on things like nails with my bare feet and being lectured by my Dad as he used a needle or whatever to remove, clean, etc. my foot held in a vice between his knees. I remember falling down skating, falling out of trees or off the trapeeze in my back yard. I remember rabies shots the times I was bitten by a stray dog. I remember bee stings and spider bites. I remember getting my front teeth knocked out when I hit the dashboard in those pre-seat belt days. Times are not worse only different.
The moral of this story...always wear shoes and stay out of high places unless you wear a safety harness. Dianne
Dianne
This is great. Lot of wonderful memories.
Playing Monopoly and the word game Scrabble with the family. Riding a bike.... the funny thing is that a friend wants me to buy a bike so I can go out with him and his friends on long bike rides.... I remember being told by my Mother that I must not go too far !!
Wow, I remember a lot of those! I hope that children today have some time away from their electronic gizmos to remember what life is really all about.
Great post.
Most of them, and beating the clothes clean with a rock in the local creek :)
I remember all those things too.
I felt sad that my daughter missed out on a lot of that. Some of that was because I was a country/small town kid. We had the run of the place! When my daughter visited my parents in their small town near Williamsburg, my daughter was in heaven. She could wander all over town and we never had a worry about her. She was a suburban kid who never wandered too far from home without a parental eye on her.
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