Looking back, I'm not sure how I survived my childhood. My best friend in elementary school was Chris Kouri. We were like two peas in a pod, he and I, two peas that I can't believe didn't get squished into split pea soup. We did everything together, including (but not limited to), jumping as hard and as high as we could on his trampoline, desperately trying to "jump off" the other (the game was called "Popcorn"). And mind you, his trampoline wasn't the sissy trampolines of our current generation, with the fancy nets to protect one from falling. Nope, not only did it not have a safety net, but it had those huge metal coils in all their painful glory, just waiting for an unsuspecting foot or ankle to tear to shreds. We did somersaults and back-flips on that thing, and I'm pretty sure we even debated trying to jump on it from the roof. Thank goodness the good Lord gave us the few extra brain cells we needed to deem that not a good idea.
We managed not to break any bones doing our trampoline stints (and I've seen some pretty horrendous injuries from trampolines as an E.R. nurse), so why not play Russian Roulette by playing soccer IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. And not just an open road. No, that would be too safe. Instead we played right behind an island that was in the middle of the road. Cars would come flying around the island, oblivious to the dumb (but cute) little kids chasing a ball in the road. What were we thinking? I don't know, but man we sure had fun. (And to all those drivers, Jesus forgives your horn-honking and middle finger shenanigans, because soccer was fun and we were fun).
We decided to up the ante with our fate by walking alone, next to a busy highway, for more than a mile to the local Blockbuster (am I showing my age?). I'm not even sure our parents knew where we were, as there were no cell phones back then, but I'm not even sure they cared. We talked and laughed the whole way there and once we got to Blockbuster, there was even more laughter as we passed the "Forbidden Room", meant only for those over the age of eighteen. We knew what was in that room, as we had snuck in once before. We were curious kids, and always got a kick out of the lone male searching the shelves of inappropriateness. After buying candy (because back then you lived on the sugar highs of Kool-Aid and high fructose corn syrup), we would begin the journey back home, alone and next to the busy highway full of cars speeding to get home. We managed not to get abducted or hit by a car, and once again, we had so much fun.
There's so many more stories I could tell you of Chris' and I adventures. We didn't always do dumb things, but we ALWAYS had fun. Now that I'm a mother of five, I often reminisce of my childhood days and want for my kids to have the same experiences that I did -well, not the near death stuff-but the days before social media took over the world. The days where you came home after school and played outside for hours (my kids actually do this), meeting FACE-TO-FACE with your friends, and not just texting them. The days where imagination ruled your play-dates, and you didn't need constant entertainment or television. The days that weren't packed with more than one extra-curricular activity and the days where when you told your dad you were bored he said "Hi Bored, my name is Dad!" The days where you weren't too lazy to walk 437 miles if it meant playing with friends or new adventures. And the days where your parents didn't care if you walked up to the nearest 7-11 and bought a "suicide" Slurpee (a little bit of every flavor), with whatever candy you could find to be sure the insulin in your body was doing it's job (Chris liked Bob's Baked Bean candy--gag!).
I know we live in a different world now, one that is by far less safe than when I was a child. I know I need to protect them more and sometimes that means doing less. But when I can, I like to give them some of the autonomy I had as a child. I feel like this fosters their independence, makes them more confident, and allows them to learn how to make wise decisions in life (perhaps Chris and I just learned later?? HAHA). It also allows them to have some FUN and make some memories, without Mama Bear breathing down their necks.
I'm all for fun..........so long as it doesn't involve trampolines or being in the middle of the road. ;)
We managed not to break any bones doing our trampoline stints (and I've seen some pretty horrendous injuries from trampolines as an E.R. nurse), so why not play Russian Roulette by playing soccer IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. And not just an open road. No, that would be too safe. Instead we played right behind an island that was in the middle of the road. Cars would come flying around the island, oblivious to the dumb (but cute) little kids chasing a ball in the road. What were we thinking? I don't know, but man we sure had fun. (And to all those drivers, Jesus forgives your horn-honking and middle finger shenanigans, because soccer was fun and we were fun).
We decided to up the ante with our fate by walking alone, next to a busy highway, for more than a mile to the local Blockbuster (am I showing my age?). I'm not even sure our parents knew where we were, as there were no cell phones back then, but I'm not even sure they cared. We talked and laughed the whole way there and once we got to Blockbuster, there was even more laughter as we passed the "Forbidden Room", meant only for those over the age of eighteen. We knew what was in that room, as we had snuck in once before. We were curious kids, and always got a kick out of the lone male searching the shelves of inappropriateness. After buying candy (because back then you lived on the sugar highs of Kool-Aid and high fructose corn syrup), we would begin the journey back home, alone and next to the busy highway full of cars speeding to get home. We managed not to get abducted or hit by a car, and once again, we had so much fun.
There's so many more stories I could tell you of Chris' and I adventures. We didn't always do dumb things, but we ALWAYS had fun. Now that I'm a mother of five, I often reminisce of my childhood days and want for my kids to have the same experiences that I did -well, not the near death stuff-but the days before social media took over the world. The days where you came home after school and played outside for hours (my kids actually do this), meeting FACE-TO-FACE with your friends, and not just texting them. The days where imagination ruled your play-dates, and you didn't need constant entertainment or television. The days that weren't packed with more than one extra-curricular activity and the days where when you told your dad you were bored he said "Hi Bored, my name is Dad!" The days where you weren't too lazy to walk 437 miles if it meant playing with friends or new adventures. And the days where your parents didn't care if you walked up to the nearest 7-11 and bought a "suicide" Slurpee (a little bit of every flavor), with whatever candy you could find to be sure the insulin in your body was doing it's job (Chris liked Bob's Baked Bean candy--gag!).
I know we live in a different world now, one that is by far less safe than when I was a child. I know I need to protect them more and sometimes that means doing less. But when I can, I like to give them some of the autonomy I had as a child. I feel like this fosters their independence, makes them more confident, and allows them to learn how to make wise decisions in life (perhaps Chris and I just learned later?? HAHA). It also allows them to have some FUN and make some memories, without Mama Bear breathing down their necks.
I'm all for fun..........so long as it doesn't involve trampolines or being in the middle of the road. ;)
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