it's gone

  Do you remember when you were young? I mean, so young that you were unaware of the adult world? Yes, that was the best time of our childhoods in my opinion, the time of innocence and being naïve. We really did believe in miracles, in magic and in the goodness of others. We reached out fully expecting others to take our hands and be our friends. In my time I believe those years lasted a bit longer than they do today. Heck in elementary school we still had some faith in the goodness of others although we now knew some folks were mean. Still, we had Valentines days at school, exchanging cards and we celebrated the holidays with Santa Claus. We knew little, if anything at all, about racial issues, politics, and the stuff that concerned the old people. No we were just kids then, blissfully unaware of most of that stuff. That experience did vary of course, depending upon your social and economic status in the community. We learned about that stuff in high school. with the various cliques and groups. That was the beginning of awareness. And most of us learned to deal with that by what our parents had taught us, not through lessons, but through example. Also the reason a good number of their behaviors were hidden from young eyes. Children should be seen and not heard. We were excluded from the adult world for a fair amount of our childhood and I believe that was a good thing. 

 I was reminded of that this morning with the posting of an old photograph. This picture brought back memories of when my parents had house parties. I think that is what they called that back in the 1960's. My parents would invite their friends over for a night of cocktails and dancing. It was expensive to go out to the club, not that there were any clubs where I grew up, there were only bars and honky tonks. You didn't take your wife to such places, not if you had children. The bars and honky tonks were for cheatin' men and loose women back in those times. So, anyway, they had house parties. The kids were sent upstairs or ordered to stay in another room. Every once in a while one of the women would check on the kids, give you a bowl of chips and maybe a soda. You got a bit more as the party got cranked up. When the party reached full swing you were sent to bed. Your cousins or other kids were sent right along with you, parents will come and get you when it is time to leave! Until then, you were not to be seen or heard. 

 I do remember peeking, to see what those old folks were doing. There was a lot of drinking going on and a lot of dancing. Sometimes it was downright uncomfortable seeing them like that, holding each other close with those funny looks on their faces. Everyone all dressed up and acting so polite and all, like different people altogether. You couldn't hear what they were talking about, the music covered that up, but there was a lot of laughing going on. I figured they must be telling jokes. Then Dad would get tired of dancing with Mom and dance with one of my aunts. Mom would dance with a brother in law or neighbor. Well no one here was dating or anything like that, just dancing. I remember once hearing a lot of shouting and someone leaving the party! Don't know what happened, but the party ended quickly after that. 

 That was a great time in my childhood. Everything was pretty simple. The answers were easy. There was no intrigue, no behind the scenes stuff, everything was out in the open. Well, except for the stuff your parents and the other adults shielded you from until they figured you were ready. Yes I was told that babies came from mommy's tummy but that was all I needed to know about that. I was taught to be polite and respectful of anyone older than myself. Well anyone that was an adult anyway. It was kind of a foggy area though, who was an adult and who wasn't. I think it usually depended upon whether they had a job or not. I mean a real job. I was told not to gossip about others, found out later that is for adults to do. That's probably what they were laughing about at those parties. And then we began to learn about relationships. It is at that point your childhood ends. Welcome to the real world. Ah but for us lucky ones we still have our memories. I remember what it was like back then. It was a great childhood. There are times when I wish I could be that innocent, that naïve once again, to just forget all the nonsense, all the worry, all the cares of the adult world. You know it's true, you really don't know what you have until it's gone.