5 Things I Miss Most from Childhood

Okay, being computer illiterate, I'm cheating. That and since I have no time on the computer any more since school is out (gotta love kids), I'm cheating. Sorry, Q, but this is the best I can offer right now!

1) My grandma. Yes, everyone says that...pretty much. My grandma and I made mints together, sewed, baked, all kinds of things. I miss her terribly. I think part of it the fact that she was my main babysitter for so long and that I was the first grandchild...not fair, but it did give me a special bond with her and Grandpa. I miss the smell of her house. It always had some kind of something cooking or crafting in it. And talk about Redneck-engineering? That woman could fix damn near any household mishap or accident. Need to know how to rig a tear in your best shirt in time for the all-important job interview? Call Gramma. Too much salt in the sauce? Call Gramma? Out of vanilla or some other recipe ingredient? Call Gramma. The woman was a genius...and she didn't get her GED until I was almost 16.

2) The ability to stay outside in the sun. When I was born, with my lint-like fuzz of red hair and oh so pale skin, the doctor told my mom to keep me out of the sun or I'd burn to a crisp. Riiiight. I never had a sunburn longer than an hour until I was 11 & that turned to tan within 24. Now? Blisters appear in minutes and I get very faint and nauseous...within half an hour. I used to get as tan as...well, mom always told me in the summers that I looked almost as dark as the mulatto kids two doors down. And, I'd stay tan until around April. Yup. I'd have tan lines still when the high school girls were heading for tanning salons before Prom. Then suddenly -- Dat-dut-duh! Whammo! I'm old, my body is betraying me, and I cannot handle the sun or the heat any more. And I miss it!

3) Weird kid-type foods. When did raviolio's lose their good flavor? And Beefaroni? And what about Campbell's Chicken & Stars soup? I miss the taste of those things. I used to love tatertots and fish sticks, tv dinners, and other assorted "kid" foods. Now a can of ravioli being opened can make me gag, fish sticks taste like fish paste, and macaroni and cheese? Ugh! Maybe it makes me odd, but I miss eating mini raviolis on bread and butter or mac & cheez with hot dogs cut up in it. It isn't that the flavor has changed, I don't think, but that I have...and it makes me sad...very, very sad.

4) Those quarter machines. I can remember asking for quarters for the junk in those things until I was 15. Hey, some of that stuff was COOL! Actually, I think this is symbolic of soemthing else, but it's so complex as to elude me for the nonce.

5)My hometown's outdoor pool. I practically lived there in the summers. The smell of chlorine still makes me sigh about it. I can remember when they shut it down. The whole town basically fought against it, but a new indoor Rec center took its place. For many years, it just stood there looking lonely, forlorn, and forsaken...like it missed us kids. Now, it's all filled in and each summer a sand vollyeball net is erected and you can rent equipment at the Rec Center if you don't have any to play that or any number of other games there.


There you have it. Sad, odd, but true. Those are things I think I miss most from childhood. That and not having any responsiblities or sense of mortality, but those things just creep up on you. It's not like most of us are aware of either of those things as children. Thankfully. It'd ruin the whole experience.