Recently, I spent an evening with some childhood friends and then a couple days later I spent an afternoon with my brother and sister.
Both visits brought up childhood stories and very happy memories. It got me thinking about how different it is today and how lucky I was to have grown up where and when I did.
How many kids actually play outside anymore?
Even if they weren't glued to tv's and computer games, and even if you didn't have to worry about them being abducted, they wouldn't know what to do if you put them outside for the day. They would become "bored" which is a fate worse than death.
I didn't exactly grow up in Mayberry, but I did spend a lot of time outside "playing" and when we came in at night all dirty and tired, it was not without protest. Staying outside after dark and playing flashlight tag was a real favorite.
Riding bikes,
driving through dirt and rocks with Tonka trucks and Matchbox cars,
and bouncing a ball against the house
were daily activities.
Making mud pies, running through the sprinkler, and buying ice cream from the ice cream man were the highlight of any summer day.
My favorite ice cream was the buried treasure, which was sherbet on a stick that had a toy inside. Not exactly a real toy, but it was so exciting seeing what character you got.
We didn't call our friends on the phone, we just showed up at their doorstep calling out their name. Does anyone else remember calling for their friends outside their door? Instead of knocking or ringing the bell, you would sing out their name real loud...was that just in my neighborhood? My brother and his friends actually had a call...a loud pitched squeel-like whistle sound they made to summon each other.
Remember making forts...in the woods, in trees, under a table? We used our imagination and went where it took us...always a new adventure.
Making a whistle with a blade of grass-how cool was that?
By filling an old rusty coffee pot with leaves, dirt, and water we made coffee.
There was a girl in my neighborhood named Mary. We used to make Mary drink our coffee and
we used to feed her cough medicine when we played hospital and
we used to cut her hair when we played beauty parlor.
We did terrible things to Mary. Kids can be very cruel.
She still returned to play day after day.
I hope Mary is happy and successful today. I hope she has happy childhood memories, no thanks to me and my evil siblings.
Other fond memories:
Jeannie vs. Samantha?
I enjoyed Jeannie, living in a bottle was cool...but Samantha had more class and style. I never liked Darren, either of them. She could have done better, and I never understood why she would willingly give up her witchcraft and live like a mortal.
Trivia: Did you know that Gladys Kravitz, Samantha's nosey neighbor, lived in the same house that the Partridge Family lived in? Speaking of the Partridges:
Partridge Family vs. Brady Bunch? Marsha, Marsha, Marsha...no thank you...what girl didn't want to be Laurie Partridge? How cool would it be to have your own band and ride around in a colorful bus? As for the guys, Greg Brady wasn't exactly a looker...but Keith, so cute!
Spaghetti O's vs. Beefaroni? I was never a fan of the O's but I loved Beefaroni and for old times sake, a few years back I bought a can. OMG, is that stuff nasty! It is true what they say, "you can't go back again."
Trivia: In the movie Apollo 13, when Bill Paxton vomits they used Beef-a-Roni for the vomit. There was a half of a can left at the end of the day. Bill lost a bet with Tom Hanks and he had to eat the rest of the can.
Hostess, Drakes, or Little Debby? Hostess and Drakes hands down...Ring Dings, Twinkies, and Devil Dogs...yummy! Back in the good old days before we knew about high fructose corn syrup and trans fats. By the way, the rumors that Twinkies remain edible for years is not true. They have a shelf life of 25 days.
What is your "snack cake" IQ? Take this quiz to find out.
Take some time and think back on those childhood days and what pleasures you found in the simple things. It feels good to remember and to laugh. Call an old friend or sibling and let those memories fly. You will be so glad you did.
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Sharon--Wow! For a few minutes there I was right back in 1972!! I was a card-carrying member of the David Cassidy Fan Club! When my mom called from the hospital to announce the arrival of my new baby brother and told me his name would be "Keith" I was over-the-moon! I even suggested she choose "David" as his middle name (she didn't. :-( ) and I wanted to be Laurie Partridge when I grew up!
I loved "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Bewitched" (right there with you on the Darrens...even at the age of 9 I thought he was a doofus.) Hostess was my trans-fat/high fructose corn syrup/individually wrapped delight of choice. And we never called the neighborhood kids on the phone...
Flashlight tag...my mom should have bought stock in Eveready Batteries! As far as the spaghetti-Os vs. beefaroni...I went froom the Os to Ravioli (I really, truly never realized that ravioli could come in anything other than a can until I was a teenager...sad but true!)
And I think Mary is now the CEO of a cosmetics company that specializes in all-natural, mud and mineral treatments ;-)
Talk about a "blast from the past"...thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
Sharon - Thanks for the flood of childhood memories complete with the little kid in the neighborhood that my brother and I tortured (so sad to think about now - I too hope he grew up happy and enjoys a wonderful life full of good childhood memories - we moved away when he was about 3 or 4). As far as the snack cakes - for us it was Drakes Cakes vs. Hostess and Drakes wins hands down - better frosting, better cake and definitely better cream filling(it has changed since then). We played Red Rover, Hide and seek, Dodge Ball, Wiffel Ball, Freeze Tag and the like. I'm going to a cookout with my parents and sibblings tomorrow so we'll have to play the memory game.
Kim How about Bobby Sherman? I was madly in love with him...I bet my cousin that I would love him longer than she would. I won the bet, turns out she is now a lesbian. I love the future you have made for poor Mary, I hope you are right. I visited your Profile page and we have something else in common...I was a hockey mom and I was born and raised in Massachusetts.
Judy Thanks for reminding me of Drakes. My favorites, Ring Dings and Devil Dogs, actually are Drakes, not Hostess. I corrected the post. Red Rover brings up a traumatic memory for me. A good friend of mine ran full force and broke through the chain of arms only to fall and crack her forehead open. I could never play that game again.
OMG--I forgot all about dear ol' Bobby! He was a cutie, too...whatever happened to him?
Hockey moms are a special breeed! How old are your kids? Maybe our teams played against each other at some point! I still get a fix every now and then when I watch my oldest play for his newly-formed college team. The hockey years were exhausting, time-consuming and sometimes, just plain crazy. I sure do miss them! ;-)
I checked out your web site--great stuff on there! I'm glad to see that staging is gaining in acceptance around these parts. It's such an important part of selling real estate...keep up the good work. The more consumers and agents see great examples of staging in the real world (as opposed to HGTV) the better! If you're ever on this part of the state, give me a call! I'd love to meet up for coffee or lunch so we can compare notes on all the stuff we have in common!
Oh, and I have to tell you I love, love, love the title of this post! If it were the title of a book, I know I'd pick it up and buy it!
Sharon, Great post, a fun Sunday Morning read for me! Which reminds me Sundays were soooo boring growing up. No one milling around town because everything was closed! Nothing on TV (the kind you had to actually get up to change the channel) except Davy & Goliath, remember them?
I liked the O's, didn't like twinkies or those nasty snowballs, I liked ding dongs!! Still do! Anyone remember space sticks??
People used to tell me I looked like Samatha (Elizabeth), others said Jeannie (Barbara), I don't know about that! Back then I had a secret crush on Larry Hagman....I just wanted to twitch my nose (still do!) have a perfectly clean home and dive into that bottle for a long Sunday nap!
Kim My hockey son is 25. We never missed a game, no matter how far away or how early in the morning! I loved every minute. My daughter, a little rink rat when her brother was playing, is currently engaged to a goalie.
I appreciate the praise for my website and the invite to meet sometime. I would love that.
I thought the title was pretty funny when it came to me, thanks for the validation!
Jolynn I hated Sundays! "Davy and Goliath" the worst childs show ever! I thought those Snowballs were nasty too. I don't remember Space Sticks. I would have loved to have been told I looked like either of those beautiful women...I was pretty geeky and awkward. Thanks for commenting!
This is a terrific (and comprehensive) post! Thanks for reviving some memories with this one. Nicely done. I always had a crush on Jeannie, by the way.
I am including this post in the Family Ties recap today. Thanks!
Jason Thank you very much for including this in the recap. I'm sure there were many guys with a crush on Jeannie. It was quite a big deal that she was dressed with her belly exposed, nothing like what they show on tv today.
Now that was a good read! You took me down memory lane. Love those mud pies and stripped pants!
Christina I've been skipping down Memory Lane frequently lately. Not sure why. Glad you enjoyed it. Those pants are actually in style again, maybe you should get yourself some.
Hi Sharon, I absolutely love this family post as much as I enjoyed this one titled "Stratham Fair, NH Seacoast Tradition - Illustrated with Vintage Family Photos"
I remember those mud pies, I decorated mine with buttercups and white daisies growing wild in the neighbor's yard. Imagine how upset I was when that neighbor mowed his lawn :(
You know how I enjoy your captions when I hovered my mouse over your photos! Now is that you w/ the stripped bell bottoms? If so, they were pretty cool if I do say so myself. How I envied your beautiful straight hair w/ me being cursed w/ those unruly curls.
Thanks for sharing, it made my day Sharon!
Sharon...I felt like I was on "This is your Life!" That was on e show we did watch after all the kicking and screaming was done from coming inside. I would not even think to trade places with todays kids. They have everything, but they really have nothing. No real imagination, or skills to solve problems of who is right and wrong without killing each other.
My mud pies were decorated with corn...the mail man bought 2 for a quarter. the rest sprouted after the first rain.LOL
Cynthia I love when you comment! You are so fun! Your picture is adorable, I love the curls!
Your mudpies sound much more gourmet than mine. We pretty much put mud in a pie pan and maybe sprinkled some sand on top.
my mother curled it. I hated the rollers!!
Here I am with my baby brother
and my Thumbelina doll.
Do you remember Thumbelina?
No, that is not me in the striped pants. It is my sister, riding bikes with my two brothers. My sister and I had the same long, straight hair though.
I'm glad I made your day, because you made mine!! Thanks.
Cynthia Thanks for mentioning the other post, only one other person commented on it. I don't think my vintage photos used for a current event was appreciated as much as I had hoped. I'm not sure anyone else knew to read the captions that went with the photos. That is ok, you and I were entertained!
William I wouldn't want to trade places either. It is more difficult today for kids. I think they are really missing out on something.
Your mudpies made money? I am impressed. What a sweet mailman you had!! I don't remember ever selling any of ours. The corn was a nice touch! You are in the gourmet catagory with Cynthia.
You know Sharon, I really enjoy commenting on your posts it's fun for me!
Your mudpies sound gourmet too, imagine the sand you sprinkled as some of those sparkly crystal sugars a pastry chef would use. I do remember the Thumbelina Doll as well the Shirley Temple Doll, imagine that, I had a doll w/ somewhat hair like mine.
I don't remember those treasures you found in your frozen treat...hummm. But I do remember those tattoos in the Cracker Jacks box, oh boy what fun. And I still can't whistle, no blade of grass could me help as much as I tried. But I do remember shooting the tops off of some kind weed. You would make a tight loop w/ the stem and slide it to the top and point and shoot. I still do this weed shooting to the dismay of my husband when taking a walk.
I love, love, love your cute little white jacket in your pic w/ brother and Thumbelina. You look like a child model in that pic.
I love your posts w/ the vintage pictures, some people just don't know what they are missing! Please keep posting them!!!
Cynthia I could never whistle with the grass either. That is my sister in the picture. I believe the weed is the dandylion. Oh, wait, that is the one we used to blow on and it flew off like dust. I remember there was a weed and a song about popping babies head off. Are they one and the same, or two different weeds?
I was a pretty stylish kid. It's funny looking at it now reminds me of my elderly mother-in-law wearing her bed jacket.
I plan to do another vintage photo post soon. I promise! Thanks for your participation.
When I read your title, it reminded me of sitting in my driveway drinking water from a puddle. Nothing like it with mudpies! What a trip down Memory Lane! I had a Thumbelina doll! I also had a Samantha doll. She was one of my favorites. And David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman! I remember being seriously irked with my parents when they said that Bobby couldn't sing, and then I heard "Julie, Julie, Julie..." years later, and they were right!
Laurie Your comment brought a smile to my face! "Drinking water from a puddle" reminded me of drinking water from my great grandparents' bird bath! I'm so jealous you had a Samantha doll.
I remember laying in my bed and sobbing because Bobby was on tv and my parents wouldn't let me stay up to see him. What I would have given back then for a dvr or even video tape! "Julie, Julie, Julie Do You Love Me" was one of my favs. I bet if I heard it today I would die laughing. Several years ago my brother called me with what he thought was very exciting news...he "knew someone" who could get me backstage for a meet and greet with Bobby. He was going to be in Boston doing some oldies tour and my brother thought I would want to go and if I had an album Bobby would sign it. Can you imagine? He was serious! I laughed so hard. I said "Oh right, I'm 45 years old and I'm going to go to a concert with a Bobby Sherman album under my arm and get it signed." I think that ship has sailed. Even funnier is when I found out that he had his info all screwed up. It was Davy Jones, not Bobby who was going to be in town. At least Davy still touring made a little more sense.