Carole asked for a list of ten things we miss from childhood. I mostly miss people, but people are not things, so I won’t list my gram, the queen of style and sass, or my gramps, who urged me to always keep reading and learning, or my grandma who exchanged letters with me in which she told me stories of her girlhood. I won’t list my neighbors, my CCD teacher, my friends. I won’t even list my pets.
Here is what I’ll list:
1. Playing in the vast open field behind my house. It’s developed now, filled with condos. Luckily, I live across the street from a nature preserve, so I have new woods and fields in which to play.
2. My bedroom. I shared with siblings until I turned 14. I sure miss that room where so much of my life unfolded.
3. Playing outside after dinner. In the summer, I guess I still do when I garden or go on bike rides. But it isn’t the same as a rousing post-dinner game of Find the Guy.
4. Family vacations. We always saw cool places!
5. Reading on the shelf in my closet. When I still shared a room, the closet shelf was a quiet sanctuary.
6. Playmates. I love board and card games. Neal is not such a fan. I miss having the built in gang of siblings and neighbors to play games with.
7. My banana seat bike. It wasn’t really mine; it was a hand-me-down. Pedal brakes, matte black spray paint…I put a lot of miles in on that bike.
8. My grandparents’ house. I suppose that’s like missing them, but I do miss their houses, the particular smells of them, the way they were decorated.
9. The lilac bush by the front door. I spent many hours next to that lilac. I’ve never loved another lilac in the same way.
10. My dollhouse. I passed it on to my niece when she was born, but I don’t think she ever played with it. I suspect it is long gone now, but it was special to me when I was a girl.
How about you? What do you miss from childhood?
#6! Yes, my husband is not a fan of games in general. Games were a great way to while away an evening and still be sociable.
Oh I had a banana seat bike as well! And lilac and mock orange bushes outside my bedroom…have never had ones that smell as heavenly as I remember.
I knew your list would be a wonderful, thoughtful one. One of the things I have enjoyed most today has been that other people’s lists have sparked my own memories. Your lilac bush memory makes me think of the rose of sharon that was outside our back door. I loved that bush!
Board games – we rented a lakeside cottage in the middle of nowhere this summer and my 11 year old invited a friend to come with us. When we entered the cottage, my kids were all excited to see the board games at the cottage (to supplement the ones we brought) and the big table we could sit at while playing. And then my daughter’s friend sneered, “I hate board games!” Argh!!! We played anyway, lol!
It’s sad when open space gets taken up with housing! There is hardly any open space where I grew up now. I loved playing board games too. We really don’t do it as much as adults.
Sub weeping willow for lilac and I could definitely add #9 to my list. This has been a really fun. I find reading everyone’s list new ones are popping up in my mind 🙂
What lovely memories of your childhood! Thanks for sharing.
ah what a sweet nostalgic list – loved your trip down memory lane. if’s funny how similar most of our lists are as we all seem to be from more or less the same generation.