I just thought that I would write down a few thoughts regarding my childhood and what kind of childhood I hope Julie will have. As a child, my sister and I were always going places. Some of my fondest memories are of my grandfather’s yard with all the flowers, trees, colored rocks and paths, not to mention the swing sets or the gazebo where we had many a “tea party†or played cards. We also played a lot with our neighbors Shelly and Debbie, we collected flowers or made decorations for our little “club house†(a space secluded in their yard, on two sides their was a fence on one side there was a shed of some kind and the other side was partially open only slightly blocked by a tree). It was a perfect place for a little “clubâ€. We also had our cousins to play with, Janie and Danny. They lived on a larger piece of ground and there were a lot of interesting places to hide. We often played hide and seek or threw a ball around. dad took us a lot of places too. We went to the pool, any fairs or parks that were within driving distance, out to play putt putt golf, out to Hubers orchard and Winery to go on horseback rides or to the petting zoo. We also tried a little badminton in our backyard, just for a little while; we weren’t that fond of it. It seems like he was always available whenever and wherever we wanted to go. Now, as a working adult, I wonder how he had the time.
I always figured that I would do the same kinda things with my child, but I wonder about that sometimes. My grandfather was right up the road (he walked to our place on Sundays). Both sets of Julie’s grandparents live about an hour away. We don’t have any other family that is close, no cousins to play with. I don’t know of anyone in our neighborhood looking to have children anytime soon. The closest public pool is in Glasgow I guess, but even so, brent and I will both be at work during the day during the summer. Hubers Orchard and Winery is hours away. I don’t even know where you go for putt putt golf around here. I guess there is the occasional fair once a year… I guess there is always badminton.
I also have fond memories of events in my early childhood. Playing with little trucks and tractors in the dirt under a big shade tree is one of the earliest memories I still retain. Playing baseball with the neighbor boys in the backyard and busting out the basement windows a few times also comes back to me. Riding bikes all over town was a biggy back then too.
But, time marches on, things change, kids enjoy different things. If I would have tried to get Stacey and Brent to live with no TV, no radio, no inside plumbing, no running water, they would have had memories of being deprived of a normal childhood, even though that is the way I grew up for a while, I never expected and didn’t want to raise our kids in those conditions.
Stacey and Brent have their own memories, that are nothing like Linda’s and mine, and no doubt, Julie’s childhood memories will probably be nothing like Brent’s and yours. In many ways that is a good thing,
but still, sometimes one does tend to glorify the past and long for those ‘good old days’…
hitting rocks with tobacco sticks…
pulling a plastic boat with a cane pole through the creek…
riding on the old mule while Grandpa worked the garden…
going to town with Grandma…
riding a ‘Stingray’ bike I built from spare parts…
playing ‘Little League Baseball’…
oh, I could go on and on…
hummm, never thought of it that way. I guess alot has changed between my parents childhood and mine, but I never thought of alot being different between what my childhood was like and what julie’s will be like. I guess Julie won’t see it that way.
P
Trust me Sis, all you have to do is be creative, and do a bit of research – like Dad finding out about that huge pinball auction! It didn’t just fall out of the sky – he asked around. Talk to people at the elementary school about local playgroups or join a local church. Lots of nice children will have many more secluded playspots, car lot jungles, and garden wonderlands for Julie to play in. Create your own, and the other children can come to you! You will make lots of new mommy friends that way too!