The Good Old Days of Simple Childhoods
In my humble opinion, I think parenting and childhoods have become so complicated compared to when we were kids. Some parents are trying to be their kids' friends vs their parents, kids have become less adventurous and creative because all their entertainment is at the touch of a button, or the swipe of a finger.
So every now and then when I'm overwhelmed by planning play-dates, coming up with ways to keep the kids off the screens, and maintaining my sanity, I drift off into 'Good Old Days' land and long for that simpler childhood for my kids.
Don't you just miss:
Waking up in the morning and leaving the house right behind your parents like you have a job to clock in to? Then sliding back through the door at 4:59pm because you knew mom gets home at 5pm. The whole time you were out there playing with your friends, without a care in the world.
Making toys out of wire hangers, and soccer balls out of papier mache and plastic bags? Improvisation! Something kids today miss out on because we bombard them with so many toys. Necessity was the mother of all inventions in our day.
Playing tag all day? And trying not to go home that night as 'it', so you'd stalk your friends outside their gate to tag them and make a mad dash for home.
Having sleepovers with a bunch of cousins over the holidays, and not obsessing over Christmas shopping, or getting stressed out trying to buy everything your kids asked for? Celebrating the real meaning of Christmas: family, quality time, the birth of Christ, gets lost in all the commercialization.
The power of 'that look' from mom? You know that look she gave you when you were acting up in public? The look that said 'You'd better NOT embarrass me!' or 'I will whoop your behind when we get home!'. Try that look on our kids today and you might get a 'Mommy, are you okay?' 'Why are you making that weird face?' or 'Is there something in your eye?'
A good old fashioned ass-whooping? I know, I know studies show blah blah blah...and yadda yadda yadda about how kids who get whooped turn out, and how detrimental it is to their development [Insert eye-roll emoji]. Now, I'm not saying you go out and whoop your kids, disciplining your kids is your personal parenting decision. I'm just saying we turned out just fine, and the idea of a whooping from your folks probably stopped you from making some stupid decisions as a kid.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on warm days? Or sitting on your dad's lap as he drove around the neighbourhood? I remember we used to ride on the hood of my dad's car from the gate to the end of the carport. It was probably a 10 second ride but it was the highlight of our afternoon. Try that today and see how quickly you would go to jail for child endangerment.
Drinking water from the outside hose? We did this without the fear of getting some form of cancer as stated by some study in some medical journal. We were just thirsty and didn't want to go inside for a glass of water. And hand-sanitizer? What hand-sanitizer? We didn't need it every time we wanted to eat something like fresh fruits straight from the tree (mmmh! mangoes with red pepper), or roasted maize from the street vendor ...and yet we survived.
The fact that parents didn't have to worry about monitoring their kids cell phones, and internet sites, like we don't have enough to worry about already. Back then, the boys had to come to your house to talk to you, or call you on the landline forcing you to have your conversation, in plain view of your folks, or atleast within earshot of them. These days we have to monitor tweets, snaps, Instagram, inboxes, and so many others I don't even know about, look out for cyber bullying. I mean it's really like a second job.
Simple uncomplicated teenage crushes that didn't constitute sending risque' photos of yourself to prove your love. Nay! There were handwritten letters and song dedications, walks through the neighbourhood, and holding hands with the occasional stolen kiss. Simple!
The 'Village'. Even though sometimes it worked to your disadvantage, I miss the days when the 'Village' truly raised a child. You were afraid to be seen getting into mischief by your neighbours because you knew your parents would hear about it before you got home. There was always that neighbourhood mom that had her eyes on you. Today, everyone seems so busy, and detached from their neighbours that we've lost that sense of 'Village' and by extension our kids have lost that extra set of eyes to look out for them.
It's unfortunate that our kids may not get to experience that carefree, uncomplicated childhood quite like ours. They may never understand the rotary phone, or no t.v. before 4pm and after 12am, cassette tapes, or running down the street rolling an old car tire for fun. However, it doesn't mean we can't give them memories they can hold dear for a lifetime. We just have to adjust to the times..hahaha!
All we can do is our best to give them a great childhood, and hope that one day they will look back at theirs with nothing but fondness, and want to give the same thing to their children.
