Monday, August 7, 2017

JUST WAIT TILL I'M A GROWNUP


Do you remember when you were a kid and were being forbidden to do something you thought was fun but your parents had other ideas?

I saw a child's arm out a car window the other day as he surfed the wind with his
hand. Suddenly the child's arm jerked back inside. I could easily imagine the conversation in that car.

When I was young, we moved a lot so we did spend many hours a year on the road. Without the distractions kids have today, we had to amuse ourselves as best as possible.

We played games. They boys would guess the make of car approaching us and I would look for farm animals and wildlife.  But the game I loved was to stick my hand out the window while holding a piece of paper and listen to it as it rattled in the wind.   A sound similar to when you put a playing card in the spokes of your bicycle. A cool racket.

Well that never lasted long  for the noise would drive the driver nuts and we would soon be forbidden to do it any longer.

In my mind only--for I was not a smart mouthed child--I would think--"Boy, just wait till I'm a grownup. I will do this all I want."

Yes, I became a grownup and no, I have never driven down the road holding paper in the wind.

No, I have never eaten ice cream only for every meal. No, I have never gone unwashed for days on end voluntarily.  No I don't leave a messy bed in the morning.

Ok, I did bring home every stray animal I saw. That might be the only thing I wished for that I actually did.

Hum, maybe I will try the paper thing one time just for kicks on my way to town tomorrow. It was kind of fun.  If you hear about an old lady getting her arm torn off by a passing car, you will know that didn't go well and my Mom was right.

Do you remember thinking you couldn't wait do all the things your parents forbid you to do once you became a grownup?  And did you?

41 comments :

  1. I think I will try the paper thing today:-) My big "no-no" as a kid was too much TV. Now if I skip chores around the estate and sit down for TV, I do feel guilty but there is no one to scold me.

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    1. Annie,
      Funny how those lessons hang on. Hey have fun with the paper. It is fun.

      Delete
  2. Nothing comes to mind, but I couldn't wait to grow up and leave home.

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    1. Stephen,
      Me too, even though I had a great childhood. I still wanted to do it myself.

      Delete
  3. My childhood was so long ago, I really don't remember much about details like you're describing. But I just might have to try the paper out the window thing because I do remember that card-in-the-spokes of a bike sound as being cool.

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    1. Jean R,
      It was a cool sound wasn't it? Hope the paper out the window is just as cool for you.

      Delete
  4. If I did wish for something like that, it's been so many years that I can no longer remember. What I do remember is when we would travel across the country that my parents would put the back seats down and throw in a mattress that my sister and I would lie on, play on, and generally enjoy. Can't do that any more! :-(

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    1. Djan,
      Now that was thoughtful. I can remember having to sleep on the hump in the floor in the back seat. A mattress would have been wonderful.

      Delete
  5. This post gave me a good chuckle. I would think things like
    "When I have kids, I will let them stay up as late as they want!" Ha! I quickly found out what a blessed thing kids' bedtime is to a parent.

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    1. Olga,
      Ha ha, I think we have all learned that the rules our parents made were sound.

      Delete
  6. Hello my friend. It has been ages since we've connected here on your blog but as I remember it, your post has set my mind to spinning and remembering. Yes is my answer. But it's not a "normal" kid thing. My Dad was the meanest man on the planet and made anyone who came to visit our house very uncomfortable. I would tell me friends never to walk across the lawn, park on the driveway and always to wipe their feet. He would literally scream at people if they offended any of his petty rules. So yes, I have often been kind and gentle to folks who visit my home (even when I wanted to fuss at them for being bad guests), especially the young people variety. When you grow up with a negative role model as a parent, it's easy to grow up to not model their rules.
    Don't have a new posting on my blog yet but the grands go back to school in a week and then I think I might join the blogosphere again. xoxo Oma Linda

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    1. Linda W,
      It is so great to see you here today. I was thinking you might have burned out on blogging. Looking forward to you getting back in the swing. At least you Dad made you a really cool parent. For that your kids owe him.

      Delete
    2. I've missed you, Oma Linda!!

      Delete
  7. I do like staying up very late at night.

    I never did the paper out the window thing...that is now on my todo list.

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    1. joeh,
      Yes, you did enjoy your rebellion. Hope you enjoy the paper. If you liked the card in the spokes, you will like this.

      Delete
  8. My parents let us get away with a lot of stuff when we were growing up. There weren't very many things that pushed their buttons. I do remember a few flaming family fights over who was going to do the dishes after dinner. My mother did not like it when the four kids walked away from the dinner table without helping. I'm very diligent about that after all these years.

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    1. robin,
      Isn't it interesting some of the things we rebelled against, we now do willingly. Guess Mom and Dad knew right after all.

      Delete
  9. Dear Patti, like Robin Andrea my parents let me get away with a lot of stuff. We lived out in the country with no really near-by neighbors and so I spent much of the summer down by the creek, reading and enjoying nature. I can't remember Mom and Dad saying much about not doing things. Except I had to eat all the food on my plate--or at least get several good tastes of each food there. If not, I had to sit at the table until I did so. One night--in a rebellion over white sauce--I feel asleep at the table and woke up with my head on the plate, my face smeared with white sauce. "Mom, can I go to bed now?" I asked. "Yes, Dolores, when you eat the white sauce." I did and then went to bed and that's pretty much all I remember of Mom's being strict. Peace.

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    1. Dee,
      Ha ha, I so remember those days staring at cold food that just wouldn't go away. Never did a face plant but sure spent hours sitting there. Mine was corn beef hash. Couldn't even get the dog to eat it:))

      Delete
  10. HA HA ----Oh YES!!!!!! Even to this day, my mother sends me MESSAGES.... I learned to ALWAYS make up the bed ---even after I had the option myself.... I always eat everything on my plate (which is not always a good thing--ha).... The Mother List goes on and on.... ha

    When we traveled (and we still do this today sometimes on long trips), we'd play the license tag game---trying to see a tag from every state.... Fun and it passes the time on those long trips....

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  11. Betsy,
    I know, those lessons sure stick with us don't they. My brother and his wife RV and they play the licence game today also.

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  12. Patti, I can't remember wanting to do something that my parents objected to, but I loved to ride horses and always wanted to have my own horse... which never happened as we lived in the city. However, when my daughter was 8, she took riding lessons and at 12, we bought her her own horse. Now she has her own daughter who started riding at 3. They do cross country and own several horses... (my wish fulfilled - in a way)

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    1. Rian,
      Me too on the horse. We lived in the city but I managed to get a one eyed pony when I was about 10. The love of a girl for a horse is a powerful thing. So glad you are now getting to enjoy--if second hand.

      Delete
  13. I can't remember something I thought I would like to do as an adult when I was a child, but I do say this to myself now. "If I live to be eighty years old, I will eat ice cream every single day." That is one promise I plan to keep.

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    1. Snickelfritz,
      That seems like a really attainable goal. If I weren't lactose intolerant, I'd do it now.

      Delete
  14. Oh yes I remember the card in the bicycle spokes, sure thought we were riding Harleys back then.

    I wanted to be grown up so bad, I was going to buy myself a Jeep from Larry Hinkle (our local Jeep dealer) and travel the country.

    I grew up and moved around, never bought a Hinkle Jeep (and never will Ole Larry retired long ago) it didn't take long to realize how good I actually had it living at home with Mom, this grown up stuff is not as easy as I thought it was going to be.

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    1. Jimmy,
      It was a delightful racket wasn't it? Well maybe not Larry's Jeep but maybe an ordinary Jeep? Never too late.

      Delete
  15. What I recall is wanting to eat all the cherry pie I wanted. I didn't have to wait until I was an adult, cause much to my surprise when I visited my aunt one summer she let me do just that. In retrospect, knowing her and her expectations in so many areas, I can't believe she let me do that. But, they had a cherry tree, she baked a pie and I ate too much -- I don't recall how much -- I just remember how good it tasted going down, not so much coming back up.

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    1. joared,
      Ha ha, sometimes the actuality doesn't live up to the desire. I'm sure those reruns weren't fun:))

      Delete
  16. An interesting post. I never knew about that paper trick. But it is fascinating the things kids can think of to amuse themselves. Today they have their I-phones and computers and they do learn a lot of information but I wonder how much the electronic tooys stimulate the imagination.

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    1. Belva,
      I know. Kids can make a whole trip today and never look up or out at the world going by. Think we had it made.

      Delete
  17. Not really. I must have been too sneaky because a No to me meant figuring out how to do it when my parents weren't watching...:) Naughty boy!

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    1. TB,
      Well weren't you enterprising. You got to enjoy the forbidden without having to wait all those years. Smart move.

      Delete
  18. I sang and hummed in the car while driving my parents nuts. LOL I still sing.

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    1. Mage,
      Ha ha, with my voice if I had tried that, my parents would have voluntarily torn up strips of paper for me to hang out the window:)

      Delete
  19. How funny ... just last week I had a bowl of ice cream for dinner and realized I hadn't done that for more years than I care to remember !!

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  20. I didn't get by with much with my strict parents so holding paper out the window was something I never tried. Hmmm, now you've got my curiosity up! lol

    I fell in love with Pepsi and/or Coke when I was a youngster and never got to drink as much as I wanted. Now I still love it and drink too much, I'm sure it must be to make up for those times when I only got a sip or two. ha! Once in a blue moon, we got a nickel and I had a whole bottle to myself. That was a real treat!

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    1. Cheryl,
      Me too on Coke rationing. We would only get a small orange juice glass once a day. Today I don't drink them at all avoiding the carbonation, sugar and caffeine. But I had enough during the middle years to make up for those early ones.

      Delete
  21. When we were kids our job every weekend was to wipe down all the baseboards and corners in the house. Mom was/is very strict about cleanliness. I decided I'd never clean them when I grew up. And yup I (almost) never do.

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  22. We were not able to have a TV as my father was against the media thing, As soon as he diedt my mom bought one. She ended up in front of it a lot. I had very little time untill my senior years to watch TV.
    The thing I wanted more of was time with friends but there were too many chores and studies.
    And I wanted to choose my own clothes. I hated some of my Mom's make overs when I grew a bit.

    ReplyDelete

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