tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post1423872331166125897..comments2023-08-08T09:27:05.487-04:00Comments on simply said: Scenes from a ChildhoodGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16075495407192340894noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-80977898990852428372007-04-29T23:40:00.000-04:002007-04-29T23:40:00.000-04:00Minka, I just came in to lock up when I saw your b...Minka, I just came in to lock up when I saw your beautiful and thoughtful comment. I loved it.Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16075495407192340894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-8795340648011262972007-04-29T22:43:00.000-04:002007-04-29T22:43:00.000-04:00wow I am late! But I am glad I caught it before an...wow I am late! But I am glad I caught it before another post would push it down :)<BR/><BR/>Maybe it is because spring is arriving...but somehow spring cleaning happens in many a mind these days. Some memories need to be polished, some re-arranged...some discarded and some wrapped in bubble wrap to protect them of breaking.<BR/><BR/>Not only the outside needs to be sorted, the inside needs to see a broom every now and again!Minkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04200778533362101678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-64047383652083533042007-04-29T10:04:00.000-04:002007-04-29T10:04:00.000-04:00To all, I am so sorry that I have not been a great...To all, I am so sorry that I have not been a great blog host, but my own parental duties have called me astray. There are Torah portions to study, science projects to build (ov vay) and so on and so forth. <BR/><BR/>Suffice it to say, that I have read and appreciated each bit of your comments and glimpses into your own Scenes from a Childhood. <BR/><BR/>Hope you all are having a wonderful day and building some nice memories of your own. xoxGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16075495407192340894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-60527198752978665102007-04-28T20:05:00.000-04:002007-04-28T20:05:00.000-04:00our childhoods inform on our adult lives more than...our childhoods inform on our adult lives more than most realise... it certainly has for me. It made a big differece on how I brought up my children. It's beyond sad that freedom we enjoyed, the safe environment we took for granted is a long and distant memory.<BR/><BR/>hope you and yours are well. <BR/><BR/>Shavuah tov<BR/><BR/>lotsa luv ann xxxxannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10520900940014508061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-75919072414884997522007-04-27T13:40:00.000-04:002007-04-27T13:40:00.000-04:00hmbt, I like the parenting of your parents OTHER t...hmbt, I like the parenting of your parents OTHER than the drinking and the never being there for you. actually, the whistling thing made me laugh.Ariel the Thiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15097086287609287362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-82352910545020040322007-04-25T23:27:00.000-04:002007-04-25T23:27:00.000-04:00Thank you for your story. I'm sorry the kitten di...Thank you for your story. I'm sorry the kitten died. I remember with fond nostalgia the freedom I was afforded as a child... we lived in a rural canyon area, with cliffs, chaparral covered mountains, horses to ride where there were no fences, a trout pond where we spent our allowance on candy, and my most inspired place... the creek. It smelled so good, with moss covered rocks along the creekbed, and long green algae "willies" streaming along the slow current underwater, water striders skimming top of the surface, black pollywogs wiggling along the shallow bottom, and baby toads - black with red spots hopping around on the wet sand so numerous you had to be very careful not to step on them... ah, what a lovely memory. We too had a dad who whistled us home at dusk... Sorry - got carried back for a moment. Kids find ways to make do with their surroundings, no matter how grave or difficult it seems.tsduffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06457805824149563737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-35652016880438423022007-04-25T22:15:00.000-04:002007-04-25T22:15:00.000-04:00Nicely expressed, G.Was that stray cat you? Mine w...Nicely expressed, G.<BR/><BR/>Was that stray cat you? Mine was, when I was little.Alhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14924642290968755122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-3374770057195641902007-04-25T15:10:00.000-04:002007-04-25T15:10:00.000-04:00i grew up in the "country" -- our house was in the...i grew up in the "country" -- our house was in the middle of a cotton field (my dad was a civil engineer, but he liked the house, so that's where we lived). the "adventures" we had were priceless, and filled with dangers, both imagined and real. <BR/><BR/>my kids have had a bit of that same opportunity, when spending time in California with their dad (my ex) but the apron strings and/or boot straps were fairly short, denying them the right to encounter the chance hobo and/or mountain lion (yes! a mountain lion!) my sisters and i had to contend with as children. i don't mind... tho' i <I>did</I> try that "boo" thing with my oldest son, when he was about 8, and after he screamed, wet his pants, and stopped crying we agreed that was never going to happen again.<BR/><BR/>these days i'm the one waiting to wet my pants and/or scream because of something scary my boys do, but i guess that's just part of the deal.<BR/><BR/>all this to say... loveloveloved your story, dearest NBFF, not to mention your imagery -- and i'm not worried in the least about what your kids are missing. they'll be fine. hopefully, you will be, too! xoxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-22830745117079219262007-04-25T12:35:00.000-04:002007-04-25T12:35:00.000-04:00Simple and complex and messy and tidy. Ah yes.I re...Simple and complex and messy and tidy. <BR/>Ah yes.<BR/>I remember it well.Logophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05791617221187190709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-39896343095860688162007-04-25T05:50:00.000-04:002007-04-25T05:50:00.000-04:00As a kid we ran wild all day too. Our only rule wa...As a kid we ran wild all day too. Our only rule was that we had to stay within whistle hearing distance of my house. My Dad would do one of those fingers in the mouth whistles that you could hear for about a mile and we knew to come home for dinner. If not that then the standing rule was when the streetlights came on we had to come home. Whole different thing now...I won't even let the boys ride their bikes in front of our house unless I am sitting out front. They can't go door to door with their school fundraisers any more. They can't go to a new friends house unless we meet the parents first. They can't walk to the school or home in the afternoon by themselves. I think keeping them kids is great and all...but damn it's a lot of work too. My Mom would put an apple and a bag of cookies in my pocket and tell me to keep out of trouble and be home by dark...my kids will never know that kind of parenting...and I think that's good. My parents were not there when I needed them...they were drinking rum and coke in the pool, while I fought the boys off from down the street. When I went home and told them about it, my drunk Dad taught me how to throw a punch, ( I have a hella good right hook now) but never went and delt with the bad boys that were attacking me. I did fix the boys...and the punch throwing has come in handy a few times in my life as well...but you know...it would have been nice for him to go and talk to those parents instead.<BR/>Great post.Heatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15354917707897522013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-63671475247235926952007-04-25T00:35:00.000-04:002007-04-25T00:35:00.000-04:00I went to see a comedian named John Heffron a few ...I went to see a comedian named John Heffron a few months back who joked about how when he was a kid he'd be gone all day and nobody would even look for him. He would finally come home at night and his dad would say, "In for the night?" And he'd respond, "Nope, just getting a flashlight!"robkroesehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14731849693307953813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-50958596813191641782007-04-24T23:47:00.000-04:002007-04-24T23:47:00.000-04:00That reminded me of my childhood a lot, too, altho...That reminded me of my childhood a lot, too, although we were dysfunctional in a smaller, usually quieter way, and I was only a havenot in contrast to my fellow private-school scholars. I also once found a squirrel that died--a dog had chewed on it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-31514421419235065512007-04-24T22:41:00.000-04:002007-04-24T22:41:00.000-04:00Doug: You know I still can't shake getting a big k...Doug: You know I still can't shake getting a big kick out of scaring someone by surprise - even if it is my kids. Cheap thrills. Maybe getting locked in the garage...<BR/><BR/>You're right though, we do have to learn to sit on our hands a bit as parents - in due time. Well perhaps, they'll have to tie me up in a closet but I will try to let them suffer a consequence or two.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Claire: Add three more older siblings and you've got my family :)<BR/><BR/>Yes gone are those days - for better and worse.Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16075495407192340894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-35755378650216723732007-04-24T18:54:00.000-04:002007-04-24T18:54:00.000-04:00Whoa, G -memory lane5 kids all on bikes2 babies at...Whoa, G -memory lane<BR/>5 kids all on bikes<BR/>2 babies at home<BR/>mom said "Be Gone!"<BR/>and we were<BR/>all dang day<BR/>all summer long<BR/>that's just how it was<BR/>and will never be againClairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10740049258265150141noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-42397345604381628212007-04-24T16:59:00.000-04:002007-04-24T16:59:00.000-04:00You know, I think that's the kind of thinking that...You know, I think that's the kind of thinking that teaches the most. I agree with my friend, first nations, too- very economical with words.<BR/><BR/>Having no children, I worry about the fate of the freedom we had to pretty near get ourselves killed. It's really how we react to surprises that makes us who we are which makes me wonder if my nephews and niece will be anything in particular.<BR/><BR/>So, what I'm suggesting is it's wonderful how careful you are with your children but you should jump out from behind the couch and yell "boo!" sometimes. And a dead cat or two never hurts.Doug The Unahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04753071669562594194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-8013383841914654252007-04-24T15:04:00.000-04:002007-04-24T15:04:00.000-04:00Pia, wasn't everyone's indeed - each in our own si...Pia, wasn't everyone's indeed - each in our own simple or complicated way. I kind of like kids getting to be kids a bit longer - innocence is nothing to be trifled with. Thanks for your thoughtful comment.<BR/><BR/>fn: Sad indeed. That's the part about playing out and about on our own that you pointed out so well - the responses to situations that would have (or should have) benefited from a little adult intervention. Right on to you.<BR/><BR/>Ariel: Ah yes, the shock of recognition. It is sad in a sense that when I think of my childhood, it was often bereft of the gentle guiding hand that is so important. <BR/><BR/>My mother is a strong woman indeed who has lived through many trials and trevails in this ole world. I say she did the best she could with what she had.Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16075495407192340894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-83612787494140650322007-04-24T13:04:00.000-04:002007-04-24T13:04:00.000-04:00sometimes I think I had a quite good life until I ...sometimes I think I had a quite good life until I didn't realize the externals. <BR/><BR/>I wouldn't dare to raise a child the way I grew up, I wouldn't dare to let them spend entire days out there alone or with friends knowing hunger will bring them home sooner or later. sad, isn't it?<BR/><BR/>your mother must be a very strong woman.Ariel the Thiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15097086287609287362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-62331828866830598992007-04-24T12:54:00.000-04:002007-04-24T12:54:00.000-04:00that covered a lot of ground with very few words. ...that covered a lot of ground with very few words. right on!<BR/>it's sad what we take responsibility for when we're children and have little or no control. i still feel badly about a baby robin i tried to rescue when i was about 8.FirstNationshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13387748372500478809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28673298.post-31036867005251401692007-04-24T08:11:00.000-04:002007-04-24T08:11:00.000-04:00I'm trying to understand a road made of all side s...I'm trying to understand a road made of all side streets. Please draw a map as this seems physically impossible<BR/><BR/>as simple and as complicated as it was.<BR/><BR/>Wasn't everybody's childhood thus?<BR/><BR/>I think there were more dangers then--higher crime rates etc., but it was assumed that all parents would look out for all kids in the neighborhood etc. Can't work that way anymore<BR/><BR/>And by being independent earlier, we were ensuring that our childhood ended earlier<BR/><BR/>We no longer have false senses of security in the world at large, so we let kids be kids longer and I think that might be a very good thing<BR/><BR/>But I have no idea. I did like your simple and complicated storyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com