When I was a kid

As a kid:

We had 7 channels on our TV.

The TV stations shut off at night and there was a test pattern on the TV screen.

The TV stations started the day by playing The National Anthem.

My brother and I, so desperate to watch TV,  we would watch Sunrise Semester and Modern Farmer at 5AM or 6AM. 

My Dad would send us to the corner store occasionally to test tubes from the TV in hopes of avoiding the dreaded visit from the TV Repairman.

And horror of horrors, we only had one TV in our apartment.

We didn’t have a color TV until I was a Sophomore in high school.

Picture that now.

In the beginning, my parents did not have a TV or a telephone.  When I became very sick when I was two months old, my Dad had to go to a neighbors apartment to ask if he could use their phone to call the Dr..

Picture that now.

Doctors still made house calls.  Dr, Greenstein showed up, examined me on the kitchen table and then went to the apartment next door to call the hospital and tell them he was bringing me in.

My Mom said she heard him say,  “ I am bringing in a sick child….no beds open?  Well, get the damn kids with a broken arm out of their bed because I will be there in a few minutes.”  

The visit probably cost $5.  Then the Doctor drove my Dad and me to the hospital.

Picture that now.

When I was a kid, a visit to the Bronx Zoo on their free admission days was such fun and cheap.

The first movie I even saw was “Tom Thumb”.  I am not sure what it cost but in those days you could stay and watch a movie a second time without paying or even a third time.

Picture that now.

There were trucks that drove around neighborhoods with rides on them.  They cost, maybe 5 or 10 cents for a few minutes of entertainment.

Sometimes, I didn’t have the 5 or 10 cents so I would stand and watch the kids longingly.

Picture that now.

During the week, instead of going to a supermarket, there was always the neighborhood deli to get something we might need.

Mom would toss out a clothespin out our apartment window with a piece of paper and money all clipped together.

The note would say something like, 1 box of Ronzoni #17 (which indicted what kind of pasta it was) or one piece of American Cheese about 1/2 pound (which meant macaroni and cheese was for dinner. I would love when Mom would grate up the cheese and we kids could have a few pieces).

When we would go to the deli, we would stop at the corner and wait for an adult to come by and ask them to take us across the street.

Picture that now.

We didn’t have a chance to get bored, Mom would say “go call for someone”.  Which meant “go find a friend and play until I call you in for dinner”.

When I was a kid, there were no IPADS, Xboxes, play stations. 

When I was a kid, there weren’t a zillion cable stations to watch hours on end.

When I was a kid, you called adults Mr. and Mrs. or if they were close family friend Aunt and Uncle.

When I was s kid, you showed respect to adults, our teachers and police officers.

When I was a kid, life seemed easier, less complicated and never dull.

When I was a kid, we appreciated everything we were given. Although I will now freely admit I hated the Oxford shoes I had to wear to school.  As Mom said, they were a sensible, sturdy shoe that never wore out.

When I was a kid, my school book covers were made from brown paper bags not those fancy types that had a plastic coat over them with cool pictures.

When I was a kid, we didn’t always have the coolest lunchbox (although one year I did get one that had was labeled “stewardess” with a picture of a plane and a lovely young lady in her uniform). Most times it was a plain brown bag on which Mom had written “Donna Raboni Class 3-G” just in case my lunch bag and I got separated. I would look at the “rich” kids in the hot lunch line and think someday….

I look back on those years of my youth and think I was so lucky.

When I was a kid, I was aware we were not rich and money was tight but we were no different than most families I knew.

When I was a kid, life was uncomplicated.

When I was a kid, I felt secure and loved.

I feel lucky to have grown up the way I did, when I was a kid.

See you next week.

PS I am sure some of you have figured out how much fun I am having with Bitmoji these last few weeks LOL.  I even changed my outfit to something I would normally wear, a v neck t shirt and crocs. I should put myself in shorts but no reason to scare my audience LOL