My Childhood Circa 1970s

When I was a child, I really got into it. Most days, I was beyond earshot for hours at a time, playing outside, and I got dirty. I wore plaid pants with striped shirts, polyester from head to toe. I watched lots of television with my family, and I ate meat and potatoes six nights a week. The only ethnic food I ever ate was pizza and lasagna and I doused my morning cereal with whole milk and white sugar. My house had wallpapered rooms and a kick-ass pool table in the basement. I joined a Brownie troop and lasted for about two weeks and one craft. While still in grammar school, I was known to quote Dan Aykroyd, "Jane, you ignorant slut", and routinely stayed up until 1AM on Saturdays to watch SNL. My parent's social life revolved around their church group and the highlight of my year was the annual church holiday bazaar. I rode my bike and roller skated on the sidewalks all over the neighborhood, and never once wore a helmet. I learned to ride horses at a nearby barn for ten dollars a lesson, and had to work every Saturday morning cleaning the chicken coop and mucking out the barn. By the time I was ten, I vacuumed our house every weekend, emptied the dishwasher, set the table and washed the dishes. I organized my dresser drawers and rearranged my bedroom constantly. I took baton twirling lessons, dance classes, and gymnastics for one six week session a piece. At school, I took flute lessons and quit after less than a month, no questions asked. The thought of playing a team sport didn't occur to me until freshman year when a friend suggested field hockey. I never had so much as an educated guess at my family's income, but was told "we can't afford it" more times than I can count. I don't ever remember going for a family hike or bike ride, and I spent weekends begging to have a friend over to play. They were good years, but more to the point, they were my years.