I woke this morning thinking of a childhood song…
We did not have much, but I’m sure I never knew. What we had was just enough. We were never hungry, nor did we wonder where we would sleep at night, and we always knew the protection of a closed door.
Family pictures and videos showed us happy kids, even when camping, attending family events, or attending church. We were smartly dressed and happy to be on camera.
My dad worked in a paper mill, which was a smelly place. I don’t ever remember thinking about his choice of career, but he stuck it out until we all reached adulthood.
I was the oldest. On my mom’s side of the family, I was the third oldest grandchild; on dad’s, I was about a dozen or more down the ladder of age.
It wasn’t until we moved to Seabrook that I understood a bigger world existed. Yes, we window-shopped at Foley’s during Christmas, but going downtown Houston was never a major event. No. We loved going to Galveston. I remember a sandy, windblown beach camping experience that ended up in a motel. I remember going to Galveston after Hurricane Carla and noting the devastation. Where were we during the storm? Kentucky. Dad’s vacation was scheduled after school started, and it just so happened the storm came through, and we came back to major damage!
Regarding money, we picked up soda bottles wherever we could find them and turned them in for their deposit. I began mowing at about age 7 and made a dollar per week. When living in Channelview, I sold donuts door-to-door and made a nickel per dozen. When we wanted a new tree in the yard, we dug one up in the country and transplanted it into our yard.
I don’t remember candy, but I do remember barrels of pecans. Load the pocket and face the day! When at my aunt’s store, you would hope she had 16-oz RC Cola because it cost the same as those 10- and 12-oz bottles of other sodas. Just a nickel! If you did get candy, it was often Penny Candy.
If we played team sports, it was often baseball. Sand-lot. Grass fields. First base on the other side of the fence. And if you were a good hitter, you often batted the opposite hand because the outfield was where the farm animals were, and you had to watch out for that bull!
Cub Scouts was enjoyable, and studying for badges was interesting. I wonder where my badges went?
We rode our bikes everywhere, and I’m sure they were a chore to carry from place to place, but when we got a go-cart and trail bike? Whew! Take the truck!
Age comes and goes fast. One moment, you’re young, and then you’re living on your own and married with a family, career, and responsibilities.
Today, as I near the next milestone, I think about my kids’ childhood more than mine. I hope they had equally good memories.
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