If you were a 70's or 80's kid then STOP just for a minute
Forget everything stressful and read this -
Close your eyes and go back in time
Before the Internet or the Apple Mac
Before semi-automatics, joyriders and crack
Before SEGA, Super Nintendo or Playstations
Way back
I'm talking about Hide and Seek in the park
The corner shop
Hopscotch
Butterscotch
Skipping
Handstands
Fingerbob
Beano, Dandy, Buster, Twinkle and Dennis the Menace
Roly Poly
Hula Hoops, jumping the stream, building dams
The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass
Bazooka Joe bubble gum
An ice cream cone on a warm summer night from the van that plays a tune
chocolate or vanilla or strawberry or maybe Neapolitan or perhaps a screwball
Wait
Watching Saturday morning cartoons
short commercials,
The Double Deckers,
Road Runner,
He-Man,
Zebedee,
Tiswas or Swapshop?
And Why Don't You?
Or staying up for Doctor Who
When around the corner seemed far away
and going into town seemed like going somewhere
Earwig's wasps, stinging nettles and bee stings
Sticky fingers
Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians and Zorro. Climbing trees
Building igloos out of snow banks. Walking to school, no matter what the weather
Running till you were out of breath, laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights. Spining around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
Being tired from playing - remember that?
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
Football cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
Choppers and Grifters I'm not finished just yet.
Eating raw jelly. Orange squash ice pops.
Remember when there were two types of trainers - girls and boys.
And Dunlop Flash and the only time you wore them was at school for PE.
You knew everyone in your street and so did your parents.
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
You didn't sleep a wink on Christmas Eve.
When nobody owned a pure-bred dog.
When 25p was decent pocket money
When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny
When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there.
It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.
When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.
When any parent could discipline any kid or feed him or use him to carry groceries and nobody, not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When being sent to the Head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.
Basically we were in fear of our lives but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs etc
parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat!
And some of us are still afraid of them!
Didn't that feel good?
Just to go back and say - yeah I remember that!
Remember when decisions were made by going "Ip Dip Dog ****"
"Race Issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly"
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was germs.
And the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to one
Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a catapult or pea shooter.
Nobody was prettier than Mum.
Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better
Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin.
Older siblings were the worst tormentors but also the fiercest protectors.
If you can remember most or all of these, then you have LIVED.
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