I will never forget walking into a shoe store a couple of years ago and asking for a certain type of shoes I really wanted. They were called hush puppies, and not just any old kind of hush puppy, they had to come up to my ankle. Now I hadn't been in a shoe store searching for shoes or sneakers for a long time. I ordinarily simply run in, grab a pair of sneakers I like the looks of and leaving. No searching out or looking for any particular type.
So the girl at the mall(after explaining to her what I was looking for, and knowing she wasn't even born in the 70s, 80s or even the 90s)looked at me with a complete blank face. After a few moments of smoke coming out of her ears(figuratively of course), she snapped back into reality and put both hands up. She extended both index fingers and drew an air square. Of course I immediately knew she was calling me a square and how she even knew what that meant is beyond me. Heck, I haven't even uttered that name since high school.
Now my kids roll their eyes at the mere mention of the fun we had in the 60s and 70s and continue on with the allusion that their Dad was truly a square, especially when I mention the different ways we had fun growing up. But there truly is a lot to be said for the former times of creating our OWN, imaginative pasttimes and getting outside to enjoy life, rather than seeking "enjoyment" through electronic means. We thought nothing of hopping on our big wheel or banana seat bike and cruisin' down the street. If we were lucky enough to grab a pillow case or burlap bag, then everyone knew what that meant. SACK RACE!!! Leap frog was so much fun back then as well. Go ahead and put the words leap frog game in any search engine and see what you come up with....I am waiting.......It has all but disapeared from life now.
I am very proud and content knowing that our answers to boredom needed to be sought from within rather than having any device dictate the answer.
There was so many different ways to play tag. From TV tag to frozen tag, this game was probably to most fun. Add to that walking around on stilts, hide and seek, kick ball or simply building our own tree house out back.
When the family wanted to go somewhere on a Sunday, we would hop in the back of the station wagon and go for an ice cream cone somewhere.
THAT was a treat because we weren't able to stop at the store whenever the mood hit us and chose from hundreds of sweets. Not only was it too expensive but our parents wouldn't allow us to "rot our teeth" at a whim.
As for impressing our friends in the way of fashion, well all I can say is that we thought we were so groovy whenever Mom and Dad bought us a new pair of converse sneakers,
those high healed shoes or some flashy bell bottoms. We mixed polka dotted, butterfly collared shirts with striped pants and we were outta sight!
Not only is this post a quick trip down memory lane, but I am hoping it will spark a little incentive in parents to bring their children outside, now that summer is around the corner, and maybe spark your childs interest in something that is healthy for them, rather than seeking "gun" on the internet or other 'thumb-driven' means. Heck, stop and grab a hoolahoop the next time you go out and surprise your child with it.
You will be amazed at the fun they will have, at least for a fleeting day. Don't give up though! Just because your children may think you too are a square, continue to offer alternatives in their lives. I am quite sure 95% of anything you show them will be met with a scowl or brush off, but as a parent it is your responsibility to keep them active, open minded, feel their mind and body and above all....YOU BE THEIR INTELLIGENCE, not the artificial plug in sitting on their lap or held in their hands. I am not here to harp on you, but just stimulate. I am guilty at times of taking the easy route when it comes to entertaining my children, but it is always in my mind to get them to set down their devices and do something that is constructive physically and mentally. It really is easier than you think and it leaves no guilty feeling.
So I am not the least bit offended by being called square! In fact, I am not offended by many things. If I am, I simply turn the other cheek or alter my route. That, too, is something we should be teaching our children. Everything in life doesn't need to be conformed around their likes and dislikes. They need to know how to handle that which they don't like. This plays along perfectly with this post. So let US teach them and nobody or noTHING take that parenting skill over.
So the girl at the mall(after explaining to her what I was looking for, and knowing she wasn't even born in the 70s, 80s or even the 90s)looked at me with a complete blank face. After a few moments of smoke coming out of her ears(figuratively of course), she snapped back into reality and put both hands up. She extended both index fingers and drew an air square. Of course I immediately knew she was calling me a square and how she even knew what that meant is beyond me. Heck, I haven't even uttered that name since high school.
Now my kids roll their eyes at the mere mention of the fun we had in the 60s and 70s and continue on with the allusion that their Dad was truly a square, especially when I mention the different ways we had fun growing up. But there truly is a lot to be said for the former times of creating our OWN, imaginative pasttimes and getting outside to enjoy life, rather than seeking "enjoyment" through electronic means. We thought nothing of hopping on our big wheel or banana seat bike and cruisin' down the street. If we were lucky enough to grab a pillow case or burlap bag, then everyone knew what that meant. SACK RACE!!! Leap frog was so much fun back then as well. Go ahead and put the words leap frog game in any search engine and see what you come up with....I am waiting.......It has all but disapeared from life now.
I am very proud and content knowing that our answers to boredom needed to be sought from within rather than having any device dictate the answer.
When the family wanted to go somewhere on a Sunday, we would hop in the back of the station wagon and go for an ice cream cone somewhere.
As for impressing our friends in the way of fashion, well all I can say is that we thought we were so groovy whenever Mom and Dad bought us a new pair of converse sneakers,
Not only is this post a quick trip down memory lane, but I am hoping it will spark a little incentive in parents to bring their children outside, now that summer is around the corner, and maybe spark your childs interest in something that is healthy for them, rather than seeking "gun" on the internet or other 'thumb-driven' means. Heck, stop and grab a hoolahoop the next time you go out and surprise your child with it.
So I am not the least bit offended by being called square! In fact, I am not offended by many things. If I am, I simply turn the other cheek or alter my route. That, too, is something we should be teaching our children. Everything in life doesn't need to be conformed around their likes and dislikes. They need to know how to handle that which they don't like. This plays along perfectly with this post. So let US teach them and nobody or noTHING take that parenting skill over.
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