Back in the Day

Back in the days when I was young I'm not a kid anymore

But some days I sit and wish I was a kid again. . . .

Yesterday, my son told me he can’t wait to grow up and be a grown man like his daddy. He’s four!! I told him he should stay a child as long as he possibly can. When he asked why I told him being an adult is not as easy as it looks. . .

It got me to thinking about my own childhood and some things I can remember so vividly and others I've probably forgotten about long ago. But one thing is for certain I never knew how good and easy life was back then. . . .playing outside until the street lights came on, getting a note from the boy you have a crush on asking you to check “yes” or “no” if you wanted to be his girlfriend, spending the summers at Astroworld (I still get teary eyed about it’s demise), playing “school” with my cousins, impromptu foot races in the parking lot, making the bomb desserts with my Easy Bake Oven, hours of fun with black Barbie a.k.a Super Star Christie as we cruised around the house in her pink Corvette, watching kung fu movies after Soul Train, scrounging up 25 cents to get a kool cup from the kool cup lady, jumping rope (ice cream, soda water, cream on top. . .), parades on Homestead, watching original episodes of Good Times, getting all giddy with anticipation every time a new Michael Jackson video premiered, hula hoops, riding the BIG yellow school bus, Chico Sticks, Halloween parties at our house every year, Easter egg hunts at my grandmother’s house every year, Po-Ke-No games at my grandmother’s house (all the kids would be in the back room and come out eyes wide when someone yelled “Five a Funky Spades!”), trips to the country (Delhi, Louisiana) during the summer (getting eaten alive by mosquito’s!) and just being surrounded by family friends and so much love!

I’ve found adulthood is mostly filled with obligations and commitments with very little time to spend doing the things you really want to do. If you work full time you either have to cram everything into a single weekend or the few hours that remain at the end of the work day and before you know it, it’s time to start the vicious cycle all over again. Being an adult is VERY overrated!

I don’t want my son to worry about growing up, God willing- he will be an adult much too soon because it seems the years are passing by at warp speed. Besides I’m enjoying reliving my childhood with him!

(BTW- That’s a picture of me at 4 years old- cheeks for days!!)