Childhood memories are bliss

I was one of those kids that spent my childhood playing outside in the dirt, running around with my sisters and having fun. In fact, one day, the most entertaining thing we found to play with, were three cardboard boxes that were big enough for us to hide in. And we spent hours messing around in them. I remember, all three of us tried getting into one box, and guess what; we succeeded. Granted it was a little crowded and we were all squished together, but we did it. And we just sat there, all three of us in one box just giggling. That day is one of many from my childhood that I will never forget.

Another day we decided to go outside and play in the garden. We played what we used to call ‘Grown ups’. We took our dolls out with us and made ‘houses’ out of anything we could find. We used logs as seats and buckets turned upside down as tables. One of us owned the mini market were we could do our grocery shopping and the other was a baby sitter to look after the kids.

We spent our days playing with Barbies and Legos; real toys. We met up with friends to play and when we went outside to ride our bikes around or to play in the tree house, those were the best days. Oh and how we got excited when summer came and we could spend endless hours at the beach swimming and making sand castles. We got happy beyond logic when we got a new board game for Christmas that we could play with our dad; that was OUR special time with him when we were little. We were kids –these are the things we were meant to be doing.

Not playing games on a tablet or a computer like most kids these days. I know it’s the 21st century and technology has revolutionized our lives, but 5 year olds should not know how to use and iPad, 10 year olds should not own the latest gadgets, kids should not want to stay inside playing video games all day.

But my question is, are these activities –the ones that require sitting around in front of a screen all day– the kid’s choice or the parents’? Because when I was a kid we were all developing interests in different things and we all had our hobbies after school. Whether it was football or art classes or horse riding, we went out somewhere and did something, learning something new every time. Are parents nowadays less interested in what their kids do and learn when they are young? Do they not care what memories these children will have of their childhood when they grow up?

It seems to me that parents are afraid to let their kids be kids and get their hands dirty in case they get sick. Or they don’t let them play outside by themselves because something might happen. But back then, parents made time to spend with their kids, to teach them how to ride a bike, for example, or how to do things that could later on develop into something.

What I mean is: what happened to letting kids be kids and getting dirty once in a while? When did going to the village playground stop being fun? But I guess the real question is; what memories will these kids have of their childhood?

Childhood memories are bliss. They are moments that we go back to when we need something a bit more pure and innocent in a hectic and crazy life. They remind us of a time with no worries and stress; careless moments in life. Moments we cherish and let’s admit, ones that make very embarrassing stories for our mum to tell. Once in a while everyone wishes they were a kid again, if only just to live it all from the beginning once more.