Thursday Thirteen - things I miss from childhood

Ok, so I can't be bothered to go and find my html code for this, so it's going to be plain and simple, which kind of goes with today's theme.

Yesterday, my adorable nephew was over and playing with playdoh. Responding to the multiple demands of "Auntie Ang - come play", I got on my stomach and started to press playdoh into molds and animals. At the end of the night, the telltale smell of the stuff was attached to me, which made me think of how much I missed it.

So this is 13 things I miss doing from my childhood (as always, in no particular order)

13. Playing hide and seek - remember doing this until all hours? The best was outside in the summertime, because all the kids knew each other, and our parents didn't mind us hiding in the backyards or around the tool sheds. And then when it was time to go in for the night, calls of "Olly olly oxen free" resounded through the neighbourhood (still don't know what it means).

12. Going toboganning - I remember having endless amounts of energy to hike back up the hill after careening down at top speed. These days, down once, have a coffee, MAYBE make it back up for a second time (ok, not QUITE that bad, but close). Back then, being cold was no big deal.

11. Playing with lego - All those cities we used to build, and if mom or dad tried to take them down to put the toys away, what a fit my brother and I would pitch!!!

10. Swinging - every playground had a swing of some form, and as soon as we caught sight of the park, we'd all run screaming for them. Whether it was a tire swing - which I got sick on more than once - or the bucket swings, or even the toddler swings (we'd sit on top of the bars if the other swings were taken). Then we'd push each other as high as we could go.

9. Watching cartoons - ok, some of us still do this - but I mean CARTOONS. Talking bunnies and aliens, and it was all obviously fake. Not this anime that's huge now, not cartoons that look too good. I remember cheesy, big lines, not a ton of detail, loud colours and crazy dialogue. Those were the real thing.

8. Writing stories - that had plotlines that made no sense, time wasn't a factor (everything could be accomplished in a day), no basis in reality - and having someone say "That's a really good story.", instead of "You missed a crucial plot point." Characters always got along, and it was good vs. evil, black and white - no grey areas existed.

7. Colouring - I really enjoyed this when I was a kid. I found it was a creative task that could be done anywhere. Colouring inside the lines, outside the lines, outlining the lines - there were endless possibilities when you coloured. The sky could be any colour - I could create my own world. The best gift in the world was a new box of Crayola crayons, and a brand new colouring book.

6. Jump rope - Oh my god I LOVED doing this. I used to have double dutch tournaments on my driveway, and all the kids on the block came over to play. Amazing amounts of fun in the summer....

5. Slumber parties - Good old fashioned everyone-sleeps-in-one-room-get-out-the-makeup-talk-about-boys-crank-call-your-teachers-do-eachothers-hair-gossip-eat-popcorn-chips-and-candy-until-two-a.m.-and-the-first-one-to-fall-asleep-gets-an-undergarment-frozen slumber parties. Where the guys all gathered outside to see girls in their p.j.'s and attempted to crash. I really miss those.

4. Jumpsies - kind of in the category of jump rope, but different. A large rope of elastics (usually strung together during class) held by a person on either end, and to play you had to go through a series of jumps over the rope starting easy and ending with some complicated moves.

3. March Break - Every year, my brother, mother and I would go to the family condo in Florida and spend ten wonderful days with my grandparents and aunts. With no friends around, we only had each other. It really stressed the importance of family, and I like to think it's why I have such a great relationship with them now.

2. Swear words - when we were kids, the words "stupid", "shut up", "jerk", and the ever popular "doody head" were forbidden. Back then, those words caused us to earn a time out, or a smack on the bottom. Some enterprising parents even used the soap. Today, they're a part of everyday conversation, and the swear words are a hundred times worse.

1. Innocence - and the absolute belief that mommy and daddy can fix anything that happens. I mourn the most for the loss of it.


Stay sane inside insanity - and never forget your towel.