When I Was A Kid.....

My childhood was in the late 60's, early 70's

Here are some of my memories, off the top of my head.

When I was a kid, I remember:

Our house had three bedrooms, one bathroom, six people:

Dad, Mom, Grandpa, three kids...... and we never felt crowded.

Sharing a bedroom, and a bed, with my sister. She drew an invisible line down the middle of the bed, and I was not allowed to even put my TOE on her side. Of course I did just to piss her off. Alot. ( I was the youngest)

There was always a fight over who got to sit by the window on long car trips. And for awhile, we had a GREMLIN!!

Going outside in the summer and playing all day long with the neighborhood kids. Hide and Seek, Mother May I, Simon Says,....

Red Rover, Red Rover, send Elisabeth right over......

Jumping Rope.. Cinderella, dressed in yella, went upstairs to kiss her fella.......

Just doing crazy kid stuff, like riding our bikes around and around in the cul-de-sac, while one person in the middle throws a frisbee at you, and if you crash, then you are in the middle with the frisbee (one of those made up games that you don't want the grown-ups knowing about.)

Answering when another kid's mom was calling him (moms would just stand on the front porch and yell) "BARRY! BARRY!" you: "YEAH!" Barry's mom: "SUPPER!' you: "OK!" Then when Barry came home, he got his ass kicked for being late to supper.

Catching fireflies (we called them lightning bugs) and taking the light part off of their bodies and sticking it on our finger like a ring (I know, gross!)

Walking to the public swimming pool, and playing all day, every day ...Marco Polo, handstands under water, swimming between each others legs, jumping off the high dive over and over again. The lifeguard blowing his whistle at you for running and you have to sit down on the side of the pool,...checking your stuff (your quarter and your noseplugs) in a basket, pinning the basket number on your suit.

Sunscreen? Whats that? Just burn until you tan.

If you had a quarter, you could buy a bag of candy that would last you all day. (Of course you savored every piece.) if your parents sent you to the store for milk and bread, they would give you a dollar and say "bring back my change!"

There was a McDonalds commercial that said you could get a burger, fries, and a drink for under a dollar. The guy walked out of McDonalds throwing his nickel of change in the air. And if you did eat at McDonalds, it was a REALLY big treat,.

Walking home from school with a whole group of kids. Taking the shortcuts, right through people's yards. Climbing fences, jumping over (or into) small streams, having a race thru an empty field. Just coming home could be a new adventure every day.

We never had snow days, unless it was an Artic blizzard. And it snowed alot.

Climbing high up in the tree in my front yard with a favorite book to read. Yelling at people walking by on the street from my tree, hidden in the leaves. Watching them look around and try to figure out where all that yelling was coming from.

OK, I could be kind of an ornery kid.

Four channels on the TV, and if we weren't supposed to be watching it, (not until we were done with our chores) my parents would come home from work and feel the top of the TV to see it was warm.....Busted!!

Getting spankings, grounded, sent your room.....children should be seen and not heard....

and don't give your parents any lip...

I was in no way abused, everyone's parents were like that.

Grandma and Grandpa coming to visit for Thanksgiving.

Summer vacation was a family camping trip with a tent and sleeping bags, catching fish (or trying to at least) with a bamboo fishing pole.....so much better than any fancy vacation....

I thought that the shoulder of the road was there so your Dad could pull over if you needed to throw up.

I had a pair of red tennis shoes and I thought that they were the best things ever....

My childhood had so much joy and wonder and imagination and dreams and, I realize more and more as I get older, priceless memories, and I am blessed.