Childhood Memories

Mary at Owlhaven is hosting a fun meme today. Here's what she writes:I’d like you all to consider writing about your childhood home. It doesn’t matter how big or small it was. All the memories don’t have to be picture-perfect. If you moved a lot, it’s fine to pick one favorite house. What I want to hear are details that were important to you as a child......

Okay, Ms. Mary, here it goes.....When I think about the childhood homes that I lived in....it wasn't the houses that were important...it was the life that we built inside that mattered. My dad was in textile management at the time and we moved more than our share while Dad worked his way up in Industrial Management. What I do remember though is the character and charm of each small mill-run southern town that we lived in - life was the same day in and day out in each one.

I grew up in the 70's and I honestly believe we were the last generation to enjoy the freedom to play outside without the CONSTANT supervision of adults. We had two rules regarding unsupervised play - One - you'd better run when Mama called you for supper and Two - you had better be in the front yard when the street lights came on at dark. We spent our day hanging out in the woods with neighborhood kids - it seems there were always plenty of neighborhood kids no matter where we moved. We swung from kudzu vines, created fabulous designer gowns from thick green garbage bags and held a neighborhood beauty pageant - the boys were judges and I always got my brother's vote - not because he adored me - but because he knew he had to live with me afterwards.

We spent the day riding bikes - with banana seats and wide low handlebars - to the top of the hill, skateboarding down the drive way, creating terrific new routines with our batons. We grew up in the disco era - we danced the Hustle and the Bus Stop and yes, I had a disco bag that crossed over my shoulder and slung low on one hip. We recreated the stage set of the Donnie and Marie show with just a white sheet as our backdrop and a plastic portable 45 record player - I was "a little bit country" and my brother was - well, "a little bit rock and roll." We were delighted with new toys which we didn't get nearly as often as kids do today. Two of the greatest inventions were: The BIG wheel and the lemon twist - and oh, I could bounce on a pogo stick with the best of them. We played Charlie's Angels - I was always Jill although I favored Sabrina more - my brother enjoyed the bossy role of Charlie - I had a thing for Farrah back then - we all did - I also loved portraying Jamie on the Bionic Woman - and you guessed it, my brother was the Six Million Dollar Man.

(My husband was the rebel - he said that he and his friends used to take a Light Bright and make a stage sign advertising "KISS" and put fake blood on their faces and recreate the stage set of KISS - whew, glad God had a better plan for him!)

Oh, the Light Bright....board games like Gnip Gnop, Kerplunk, Life, Operation....and the Barbie Townhouse with the drawstring elevator. When my bother wasn't looking, Barbie dated Ken in the GI JOE Camper instead of the sissy Barbie car - did I mention I was a tomboy?

Metal swing sets were the standard and the slides were well known for providing blisters on a hot summer day - there was no such thing as safety requirements - we were TOUGH kids. We actually slid on large pieces of wax paper so that we could go faster - and to think I never broke a bone - we took our fondness of wax paper and applied the same theory to fall leaves - we took empty cloth bolts from a fabric store and wrapped them with wax paper to sled down leaf covered hills in the fall. We tested our inventions out on a younger cousin and if she fared well, we joined her.

Thinking about all of these memories makes me sad for children today - they live in a world that is unsafe. My child will never know what it is like to romp around freely in the neighborhood. He is having to grow up in a generation that requires well planned, supervised activities. I feel for him. The only thing that he will be able to poke fun at is how technology has progressed through the years - he will joke about CD's like we do records and 8 track tapes. We were fortunate to grow up during a time when we had respect for our leaders and when people genuinely cared for each other - I remember where I was and how I felt when Elvis died and when I learned that Ronald Reagan was shot. It mattered - the media had standards back them - I still remember the shock and embarrassment I felt in the early 80's when the first feminine hygiene commercial was aired on TV - the New Freedom lady danced around and sang on that TV set while I nearly passed out from embarrassment and mind you, I was in the know - I read "TigerBeat and Teen" magazines for Pete's sake!

Where have we gone wrong folks? We once lived in a nation then where people feared God and tried to avoid sin. And today, as Dr. Rummage says, we live in a nation that celebrates it. We need to turn back - better yet, we need to look up! I want things to be better for our children. Let's do that, okay?

Have a great day creating memories with your family,

Kim