Childhood

on this saturday
Maureen
would like to share~~

CHILDHOOD - - FEARLESS OR INSANE???

by Maureen

When reading the blogs, I couldn’t help but thinking back to my childhood. The talks of comfort foods made me think of what a terrible cook my mom was!! And how my father could have been a professional chef.

I thought back about the tree/bicycle experience I had posted a few days ago! And I started to recall some of the stupid stuff I did as a kid. Now mind you, my brother is 8 years older then I am, so it was part of his entertainment to encourage his baby sister to do a lot of those stupid things! And hey, if it killed me, then he could be an only child again!!

When I was 4 or 8 or 12 or 16, it was fearlessness - - not reckless abandon or stupidity! It was something to do, and if I achieved my stunt, then it was not stupid. If I didn’t, oh well, I suppose even I would have to think it was pretty dumb! If mom knew, I’m sure I would have been locked in my room for my own safety, but, by the time she found out it was either a moot point or we were on the way to the emergency room!

When we lived in Milwaukee, we had a pool in our backyard. Before I was allowed in, I had to have swimming lessons. I mastered that just fine. Our pool wasn’t that big, and I think maybe 4 feet deep. We also had telephone lines that were above the pool. And the pool was adjacent to the garage. Since I was now a pre-Olympic swimmer (yeah, in my dreams along with Olympic Ice Skater AND Olympic Gymnast!) I “needed” to be an expert diver, too. Now, if I saw someone attempt to dive into 4 feet of water headfirst, I would kill them to keep them safe!! But, thankfully I survived that feat. After all, if my “older and wiser” brother and his friends jumped off the garage into the pool - what’s a dive from the ladder!!! Oh yeah, the phone lines...I was the pool toy that my brother and his friends attempted to throw me over!! And I let them!! INSANE!

Then there was the hill. It was wicked steep. And oh so much fun to pedal as fast as we could on the flat part...then take off down the hill...cross the street and crash into the lawn!!!! Did I mention this was pre-helmet laws!! I got away with that a number of times, until I used my brother’s 5 speed bike! I think it only had one speed by the time I got in trouble for that and I had a variety of scratches, cuts and bruises!! Would I ever try that now????? Are YOU insane??!!

Speaking of bikes, when I was about 13, I just had to perfect my bike riding skills. Ya never knew when they were going to add bike stunts to the Olympics!! :D I was able to ride standing up. I was able to ride with no hands. But could I ride standing up with no hands? YES I COULD - –for about 15 feet when I found a pot-hole! And the pavement found me! That was a fun trip to the emergency room!! NOT!! The pain of them resetting my finger and digging street outta my hip was as insane as the stunt! Oh, my bike fared much better then I did!

Have I told you about the Olympic cheerleading dream? I had to be a cheerleader. I was a fat kid and fat teen and now a fat old lady!!. There really was no way that I was going to stand up in front of other junior high students in that short skirt with my fat thighs exposed. Kids could be cruel. But, I had to try anyhow. I could do the splits, back walk overs, flips and all the other gymnastics required. And I had to be the best at split jumps of ANYONE. Did ya know that you can get really good air if you do the jumps OFF THE PORCH?! It was no problem...until I landed in the bushes!! Maybe I wasn’t fearless or insane...just not too bright!

Then there were the flips and dives off the high dive at the community pool! Would I try that now? NO WAY! NOT EVER! But at 13 and the lifeguard was gorgeous, it was necessary! I didn’t suffer any bodily harm, but I did get kicked out of the pool because it was to dangerous and not allowed!! (p.s - 34 years later I dated that handsome lifeguard!)

Oh those days were fun. Never a chance to be bored. No sitting in the house playing video games. No being sensible. Not ever having fear and trying everything. And I have lived to be an old lady!!

What did you do then that you would never do now? Do or did your kids think they are invincible? Share your stories...please...so I don’t think I was the only insane kid!!!!