To Be a Kid Again

It’s sad that when we become adults, we sometimes forget simple lessons we learned (e.g., having good manners, keeping your room clean, & always work hard to do your best), how to play (e.g., board games, team sports, & going outside until the streetlights came on), to be carefree (e.g., relaxing, napping, playing with pets), and to just laugh & have fun (e.g., watching cartoons, reading, playing an instrument, & using your imagination). 

I was sitting at my breakfast bar one morning, eating my childhood favorite, Malt-O-Meal, and caught myself humming and dancing in my chair – celebrating how good it tasted. And I swear I heard my mom say, “I’m glad you like it; but we don’t sing at the table.” LOL. Then, I started thinking about what else I do that reminds me of my younger years, when I had no worries, plenty of time to play, laughed a bunch, had oodles of fun, learned some significant lessons, and simply enjoyed life. And here is what I came up with:

• When I make my coffee in the morning, I think about always being excited when I got to make my Daddy’s cup of coffee.
• When I visit my horse, Hershey, I am reminded of the book my Daddy used to teach me how to read; a book titled Joey’s Horse.
• When I ride my horse, I remember when I first fell in love with horses, at Girl Scout camp, when I was nine years old. I won a 2-week stay for selling over 1,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies!
• When I read Curious George to my grandson, I remember the hours I spent riding the book mobile, with my paternal grandmother in Charleston, SC every summer; reading all day.
• When I have a big breakfast, with biscuits, eggs, and bacon, I remember summers with my maternal grandparents. Getting up in the cold dawn going to the hen house to get the eggs and stopping by the salt house on the way back to get the bacon while my grandmother made biscuits from scratch.
• When I eat Froot Loops and Apple Jacks, I remember when my Daddy and I would sit on the couch and watch cartoons on Saturday mornings.
• When I watch cartoons from time to time [I still love Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, and the Hanna Barbera ones on Boomerang], I remember rushing home from elementary school to catch Speed Racer and Batman (which I now own the full series of on DVD).
• When I play with my dogs, I remember the joy of getting my first pet on my 4^th birthday, a black Cocker Spaniel, named Sams’n.
• When I clean my bathroom, I remember how proud I was for getting my Brownie pin turned right side up because I cleaned my bathroom, on my own, without having to be asked.
• When I hear Ragtime music, I remember taking piano lessons and playing Scott Joplin’s The Entertainer, at my piano recital.
• When I am reminded of my extensive vocabulary, I remember my Daddy’s requirement that I learn a new word every day and use it in a sentence at least five times.
• When I am complimented on my nice handwriting, I get tickled because I remember how irritated my mom would be when she couldn’t find any blank paper in the house because I had practiced my handwriting on every piece of paper I found.
• When I hear any opera music, I think about all the hours of voice lessons I took, the beautiful music I sang (mostly in Italian), and how much I loved to sing.
• When I watch soccer on TV, I remember my Daddy being my coach as a little league player and my biggest fan as both a high school player [on the boys’ Varsity team] AND an adult player [in the Georgia Amateur Association].
• When I hear a high school marching band rehearsing, I think back to my days as a high school cheerleader – when I was bubbly and fit - LOL.
• When I watch football, I remember going to my uncle’s games, faithfully, to show support for his team and for him as a coach, at Panthersville stadium; now named after him, the William “Buck” Godfrey Stadium.
• When I see, or eat, strawberry Mentos, I am reminded of the times, as a lifeguard, I would sit with my bestie, Lisa, in the baby pool, and talk about life as we devoured a roll or two.
• Whenever I play Scrabble or Gin Rummy on my iPad, I am reminded of my college bestie, Leah, and the many games of Scrabble and Gin Rummy we played over many bottles of wine, and how nice it was to have a friend with whom I could just be myself and on whom I could always depend. I will always remember our friendship fondly even though, sadly, after 30 years, we are no longer friends.
• When I teach college courses, I am reminded of the value of learning, loving myself, and living a purposeful life, that I discovered in Dr. Nelson’s high school psychology class.
• Whenever I go to a formal dinner, party, or other event, that requires poise, grace, and proper etiquette, I remember the book my mother made me read (and practice), White Gloves and Party Manners; grateful that I have no anxiety about which fork to use and when.
• Whenever I see a balcony on a house, I think about jumping from our balcony to my neighbors’ so I could sneak out through their house (a group of Morehouse College students) instead of fooling with the alarm at our house - risking waking my mother and getting caught.

So many things I thought were small, insignificant, or just “part of life,” often pop into my head, bringing forth a fond memory, a smile, and even a chuckle at times. Life was so simple before we had to start “adulting.” There was no stress, no time management (except getting home before the streetlights came on), no social anxiety, no tension headaches, or financial strain. There were no heavy responsibilities and there was not a lot of anger or sadness overall. I had friends who were genuine. I had teachers who cared. I had parents who did their best. I had opportunities that a lot of kids don’t get. I was held to a very high standard; and for the most part, I met it. But I was by no means perfect and still am not. I do think I take life too seriously too often though. Perhaps I need to adopt my husband’s Jamaican philosophy, in Bob Marley’s words: “Don’t worry about a thing ‘cause every little thing gonna be alright.” I just have to remember to make time to play, be carefree, to laugh, and just have some fun so that “adulting” doesn’t seem so bad. I encourage all who read this to do the same.