Reminiscing Part 1 - The Block and Lessons
My childhood wasn't what most people would consider normal. I knew almost all the families that lived on our block, and the block was actually 2 city blocks together with all the houses built around a huge field. It was very normal for families to swap houses on Friday evenings, with the help of the entire neighborhood. The men would move all the heavy furniture, the women would cook food and help clean the houses. My family has lived in 3 houses, and they're all on the same city block. I'm the only child who's lived in all houses, although I don't think I was born when we lived in the first house. When I run into old friends of the family and they ask about my parents I say they live in the "Smith's" old house. They immediately know which house that is, even if 3 or 4 other families lived in it.
Most families on our block had 5+ kids in their family, so there were always ways to amuse ourselves. We "built" forts by the big rock, in the bushes behind McDonalds, in the stick pile, and by one of the main trees that was conducive to climbing. Strangely enough, we didn't actually build forts, although if we had really wanted to, we certainly had enough supplies and tools. We just declared a section our fort and let our imaginations run wild. One fort even had separate bathrooms. Most families had an entrance to the field from their backyard, so you didn't need to actually use the sidewalk to get from one house to another. You just cut through someone's back yard. Most houses had swingsets, and each age group had their own local hangout, but our house (back in the day it was the "Smith's" house) was the main hangout. Neighborhood children and children we didn't know would come play basketball. Summer evenings were spent playing Tag, Ghost in the Graveyard, and other random games, and often involved 30+ kids. We used the shortcuts to our advantage, and sometimes made rules concerning what area of the block was fair game. The church down the street from us closed, and we would ride our bikes in the empty parking lots.
All children learned the value of work at an early age. At the age of 2 or 3...maybe 4...I was assigned the chore of emptying waste baskets. Realistically, I doubt I was effective seeing as I was so young, but I definitely knew that work and chores were apart of my life. I helped my mom bake and clean. I ran errands and dropped off various items at the neighbors. It was always exciting to go to "the offices" for an errand, because I always got a piece of candy. If I was baking and discovered I didn't have an ingredient, I would just call a neighbor and ask to borrow it. I always made a note for my mom so she would return what we borrowed. I was a very proficient baker by the time I was 10, and I still make some recipes better than my mom. She cooks much better than I, though, so it all evens out.
I took guitar lessons, piano lessons, recorder lessons, sewing lessons, and tambourine lessons by the age of 12 and was pretty decent at all of them. You might be wondering what you learn at tambourine lessons, and I couldn't tell you. I probably learned how to listen to the beat and play it at the appropriate times, but I'm not sure. I really enjoyed my guiltar lessons, and got to show off my skills every Saturday evening before dinner, but I don't remember much about the guitar anymore. I think the first song I played on the recorder was Hot Cross Buns, and I still hear the notes in my head. I enjoyed my piano lessons, but it wasn't one of my favorite instruments to learn. I didn't count while playing, which made for very interesting songs. If I really liked a song, I would practice and practice and practice, but if I didn't like the song I didn't give it a second glance. One of my favorite memories of sewing include eating fudgesicles during break and making a sleeveless dress that I wasn't allowed to wear. (Bare shoulders attract boys; boys are bad.) I wish that I had kept up with sewing. I feel guilty every time I take my pants to get hemmed by someone else. There's really no reason why I don't do it myself, except that I'm lazy, haven't sewed in years, and don't have a sewing machine.
More to follow...
Most families on our block had 5+ kids in their family, so there were always ways to amuse ourselves. We "built" forts by the big rock, in the bushes behind McDonalds, in the stick pile, and by one of the main trees that was conducive to climbing. Strangely enough, we didn't actually build forts, although if we had really wanted to, we certainly had enough supplies and tools. We just declared a section our fort and let our imaginations run wild. One fort even had separate bathrooms. Most families had an entrance to the field from their backyard, so you didn't need to actually use the sidewalk to get from one house to another. You just cut through someone's back yard. Most houses had swingsets, and each age group had their own local hangout, but our house (back in the day it was the "Smith's" house) was the main hangout. Neighborhood children and children we didn't know would come play basketball. Summer evenings were spent playing Tag, Ghost in the Graveyard, and other random games, and often involved 30+ kids. We used the shortcuts to our advantage, and sometimes made rules concerning what area of the block was fair game. The church down the street from us closed, and we would ride our bikes in the empty parking lots.
All children learned the value of work at an early age. At the age of 2 or 3...maybe 4...I was assigned the chore of emptying waste baskets. Realistically, I doubt I was effective seeing as I was so young, but I definitely knew that work and chores were apart of my life. I helped my mom bake and clean. I ran errands and dropped off various items at the neighbors. It was always exciting to go to "the offices" for an errand, because I always got a piece of candy. If I was baking and discovered I didn't have an ingredient, I would just call a neighbor and ask to borrow it. I always made a note for my mom so she would return what we borrowed. I was a very proficient baker by the time I was 10, and I still make some recipes better than my mom. She cooks much better than I, though, so it all evens out.
I took guitar lessons, piano lessons, recorder lessons, sewing lessons, and tambourine lessons by the age of 12 and was pretty decent at all of them. You might be wondering what you learn at tambourine lessons, and I couldn't tell you. I probably learned how to listen to the beat and play it at the appropriate times, but I'm not sure. I really enjoyed my guiltar lessons, and got to show off my skills every Saturday evening before dinner, but I don't remember much about the guitar anymore. I think the first song I played on the recorder was Hot Cross Buns, and I still hear the notes in my head. I enjoyed my piano lessons, but it wasn't one of my favorite instruments to learn. I didn't count while playing, which made for very interesting songs. If I really liked a song, I would practice and practice and practice, but if I didn't like the song I didn't give it a second glance. One of my favorite memories of sewing include eating fudgesicles during break and making a sleeveless dress that I wasn't allowed to wear. (Bare shoulders attract boys; boys are bad.) I wish that I had kept up with sewing. I feel guilty every time I take my pants to get hemmed by someone else. There's really no reason why I don't do it myself, except that I'm lazy, haven't sewed in years, and don't have a sewing machine.
More to follow...