By Christy Riggs
Published August 31, 2023 in The Burg
Admit it - most of us miss being a kid to some degree at least, right? You’ve perhaps often said: “Oh to be that young again”, or “Adulting is a trap, don’t do it!” and similar phrases. I distinctly remember when I was a young teen seeing what I called an “old” person walking down our street. I looked at my dad and said “geeeez. That person is like what, 25? That’s really OOOOOOLD!” I was SO serious. He looked at me and said “…..Christer? It goes so much faster than you think…and 25 ain’t even close to old!”
Granted, maybe childhood wasn’t ideal for some, but I am betting there are core memories and experiences you’d welcome today if you could. So what are some of the things missed about just being a kid, (particularly a Gen X kid)? I’ll start:
CAREFREE: Zero worries for the most part. The biggest concerns consisted of 1) getting the GOOD cereal (you know what I’m talking about - Captain Crunch, Frosted Flakes, Lucky Charms etc), 2) being the first one up to hog the tv and watch cartoons all Saturday morning WITH that good cereal, 3) being impatient to get out and play with friends all day long, 4) not getting grounded.
BILLS. Bills, for lack of a better word, suck. They always show up. They multiply. They consistently increase. Besides Amazon packages and cards, there’s no exciting reason to get the mail as an adult.
CONFIDENCE. As a kid, you run around carefree, picking your nose and wedgies, you do as you please and wear whatever you want; other people’s opinions don’t take hold. You could care less about darn near everything. As life goes on, it tends to throw some serious curveballs that hinders confidence. Were we once that confident person? We tend to look over our shoulder and second guess now.
SAFE/SECURE: The world was a much safer/kinder place back then. As a Gen X kid, we would be be out of the house practically at dawn and playing with friends until the street lights came on or you were called in. I can still hear my Mom yelling “Chriiiiis, Looooori….” We drank from the garden house, we were FAR away from home on occasion, had little to no supervision, and didn’t have cell phones. (OH THE HORROR!!). Our parents didn’t check on us for hours. We were (usually) safe. Dirty and smelly, but safe. Granted I do see kids riding their bikes or playing ball in the street nowadays, however it doesn’t have the same feel and comfort today. Not. Even. Close.
As much as I cherish my life and everything that goes along with it (except the bills), I’d absoLUTELY love to go back in time if even for a moment. You give me a bowl or two of Lucky Charms, The Bugs Bunny Roadrunner Show, nothing but fun Amazon packages in the mailbox and no bills? Uh, YES PLEASE! I’m there!
Be well The Burg readers….