Monday, June 8, 2009

The Wonder Years

Kids today have a lot don't they?
Parties don't mean pin the tail on the donkey anymore. It's pottery, glass painting, swimming pools. They're so fast and smart and 'switched on' at the tender age of 7.
It made me think of my childhood. And my heart smiled.
When I was a kid, we did the simple things.
Going on holiday to Bombay meant leaving all my toys back home, save one Barbie who roamed the world in my backpack. I missed them and Bombay in July (read as 'monsoons') wasn't that much fun.
Then Dad made me a dolls house from a cardboard box. He cut out windows on either side with a blade. He colored in doors with a black marker. Mum gave me lovely hankys to use as beds and sheets and curtains for my newest toy. It was a lovely holiday!
I'm an only child. Weekends were at home, with my folks and family. They were the best times ever. One uncle would get me a book every weekend, without fail. The adults played cards and I read, blissfully happy! As I grew older, I never really got the hang of cards, but there some games I loved - Yahtzee, Canasta, Scrabble.
I smile as I type, even now, so many years later :)
We used to do puzzles together. By 'we' I mean the whole family. We had one puzzle, about 1000 or 2000 pieces, of bread.
Different types of bread - loaves, slices, with nuts, in baskets on plates, you name it and it was on the puzzle! It took us about a month to complete it, during which time it totally occupied our dining table. Every Thursday night (our weekend), we'd sit up late, piecing together baguettes, ryes, multigrains and fruit breads.
When we completed it, we were all thrilled. We looked at it happily for another week. Then we messed it up and put it back in the box. *grin* We had our fill of bread memories.
In the evening when homework was done, our house was always a fun place to be. Mum taught me to scrapbook and we'd spend hours on it together. We'd hold up the bubble blowing thingy in front of the air conditioner and the bubbles would race out at top speed! Dad taught me how to dance. (At this point, even a smiley doesn't do enough justice)
I'd sit with mum in the kitchen and talk to her as she cooked. On occasion, I'd stand on a stool and wash the dishes as delicately as I though possible. Needless to say, mum watched as I broke a few over the years. She never shouted at me, God bless her!
Dad taught me to make banana milk shakes with ice-cream. And limbu (fresh lime) soda in an iced up glass, with the top lined in salt. sugar and a dash of pepper.
YUM! I'll make it sometime soon and post a picture.

In the middle of all these times, when I was all of 11 years old, my godchild was born.
*smiles*
But that's another post all together.
The simple things were the best things, weren't they? I'm sure you've got some 'simple' memories. Share them if you like. It makes the heart smile. :)

12 comments:

  1. So do you go to your Godchild with a soar throat and say in an Italian accent:
    "You say, 'give me justice' - but you don't ask with respect, you don't offer me friendship, you don't even think to call me Godmother... Instead, you come to my house, on t'is day of my daughter's wedding and you ask me to murder someone for money."

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  2. Rose, I completely agree...I think kids of today have lost all their innocence...my niece all of 8 only wants to play with computer...so different from the way we grew up...

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  3. Rose.. me too.. I so agree with you.. Life was so so simple!! Come holiday season.. I never knew of any other destination till I was a lot older.. And the girls demand a new destination.. Sometimes I think… its we who spoil kids these days…

    Dad always worked late… and mom would take us out for dinner every Thursday… and we used to eat at the smallest restaurants with the yummiest food… and have such a great time… talking, catching up and laughing all the time. Like the list I sent you last week!!!

    I remember Fridays… were always Church, then a South Indian restaurant for breakfast… from there to the fish market with Dad. Then we would come home… Dad & mom would be in the kitchen cooking together… either fish biryani or fish curry & rice!! Sunil never liked fish… so there was always something else for him!! In the mean while… Sunil & I would clean the fish tank… and our room!! Then we’d all have lunch together… and it was such a laugh. After lunch Sunil would always go to the nearest supermarket… about a 5 mins walk to buy ice-cream.. and then the two of us… would each our ice-creams… and have a great chat!!! Evenings were always at home… doing something or the other.. Always so much fun!! And so very simple!!!

    How I miss those good old days… when picnics meant… we could just go to the nearby beach and sit with a basket of fruits & cake!!! Oh what fun!!

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  4. wow!!.. you had a gr8 time.. but i'm surprised to know that all these things happened in my life too.. all my grand memories happened in my beautiful village...

    i really miss those days.. thanks for posting this article. you made me feel my heaven.

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  5. Oh, how lovely. You bring back memories for me too.

    The kids today unfortunately are inundated with technology, and they have forgotten how to play. I can't remember the last time I saw a little girl playing hopscotch or skipping rope, or a little boy building a fort. Those days seem to be gone, sadly... More's the pity.

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  6. Oh get over it guys, life was never 'so simple' -- and it's not kids these days that are high on technology. When you were all kids you had colour-TV with cartoons as often as you did... Most of the parents back then said the same thing - "back in our days we had b/w cinema which was a special occasion... do you remember when the talkies came out! That was so awesome."
    I think the thing to focus on in that post was that Rosemary is a Godmother...

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  7. Rosemary, oops, I think I misread your post. Or I misunderstood.

    :In the middle of all these times, when I was all of 11 years old, my godchild was born.
    *smiles*
    But that's another post all together.
    The simple things were the best things, weren't they? I'm sure you've got some 'simple' memories. Share them if you like. It makes the heart smile. :)"


    I didn't get that as the focus of your post.

    I still agree with the gist of your post. :-)

    Cheers!
    Jo

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  8. @ jo
    //'The kids today unfortunately are inundated with technology, and they have forgotten how to play. I can't remember the last time I saw a little girl playing hopscotch or skipping rope, or a little boy building a fort. Those days seem to be gone, sadly... More's the pity.'//

    I was juz amazed with this command. i think u never seen kids playing with technology. not many i guess.

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  10. Shafi… I think you missed the point … the post is not about ‘kids & technology’… its about happy childhood memories… and we all have some of them… be it watching ‘Sound of Music’ with friends… or playing hopstoch.. or playing a playstation game.



    Even as adults… we play chess, scrabble, uno etc. At the same time, we also play playstation games.. And its all fun. Anything that makes you smile is a happy memory!!



    As for kids these days… I think hopscotch & sand castles need to be introduced to them by the adult. Yes.. technology also needs to be moderated by an adult supervision. The future is really in our hands… us the middle age generation!!

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  11. Well then *surprised*
    who knew a post on childhood memories would generate this discussion!

    Firstly, this post, as are all the ones on my blog, is purely my opinion. (Hence, from MY corner *grin*) I don't expect anyone to agree or disagree or hold dear the same things that I love. To each his own and all that.

    Secondly, my post was truly, purely about childhood memories. Kids today play differently from the way we did. There's a lot more money involved in their amusement, for one thing. Ours, no, scratch that, mine, were much more simply and well...inexpensive!

    We all hold some simple joy as a kid close to our hearts. For todays kids it may be the PS3's and Xboxes and Planet Hollywood parties, for my generation, it's bubbles and puzzles and for yet another, it's jump rope and sand castles!

    Surely treasuring different things is not offensive?

    Technology was never part of my post. But it is a good thing. It gave us karaoke and the internet. *grin*

    AND NO, this post was NOT about me being a godmother. *grin*

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  12. Ooops. Sorry . . My mistake. :-)

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