I saw a facebook post by one of my friends that made me remember some mildly suppressed details from my growing-up years. So here are some bizarre facts that I recalled today. Parents out there, this is descriptive not prescriptive. I do not suggest your kid do most of these things. Mom and Dad, none of this is intended to incriminate you!
- Driving with Dad: Long before Brittney Spears was making headlines for doing it, my father had me in his lap in the driver’s seat of the car steering it down the road. Every 7 year old today would be jealous!
- Helmet-less Bike Riding: You would think we were really living on the edge by today’s standards.
- Catching/Killing Snakes: I was blessed to grow up, in part, among the well forested hills of Georgia. My Dad was an Army Ranger. So my friends and I would often go off in the woods to scout the “enemy base,” devise attack plans, and come back with their snake minions as hostages. G.I. Joe was popular then too, so “King Cobra” may have had some influence on the obsession with killing snakes.
- Riding in the back of a pickup: I know it’s not that safe, but man was it fun! I’m pretty sure it’s still legal to do this in at least 10 states; all of which are below the Mason-Dixon line.
- Using your Fists: Ok, look… I was not some kind of big brawling bully! But both my parents taught me that there were times that physical force was required. Real men don’t walk away from every fight. We just don’t fight over the wrong stuff. I actually got in trouble once for running away from a kid that said he was going to hit me. My father taught me to avoid fights when I could, but to stand up for myself when I couldn’t. I only had to use what he taught me on a handful of occasions. Well, then there was junior high, but… nevermind…
- Drinking from Garden Hoses: I only find this so peculiar now because of the overwhelming popularity of bottled water and home water purifying systems today. By contrast, it’s really funny to me!
- Chicken Pox: I distinctly remember getting chicken pox as a 4 year old. Now, kids get vaccinated at 4 weeks old. Lucky!
All that, and my generation still survived! So it wasn’t “5 miles, uphill, through the snow, both ways” kind of stuff, but still! My grandkids will think I’m older than Moses when I tell them these things and more. But by then, I’ll get to drive a space ship around on auto pilot anyway. So who cares! And Mom and Dad… As far as I’m concerned, these things made you GREAT parents anyway! Thanks for not smothering me (too much) as a kid!
Blessings,
John