Ever look back and wonder how your spent your childhood? Growing up in rural Utah, I had a special playhouse in my grandma’s attic complete with a crib for my baby doll plus a little table and chairs with a small cupboard to hold my tea set. Playing house was the name of the game. Pretending to be the mom, and taking care of my baby (doll) filled many happy hours. Dressing-up with my girl friends in my mom’s old clothes and high heels was great fun. (Photo on left of my girl friend Marilyn with the umbrella and me playing dressup.) We could be gypsies or grownups going to a party. Acting like a doctor or nurse using my medical kit, I could give shots or make slings, take temperatures or listen for my patient’s heartbeat, etc. I suppose I was trying on future adult roles in my pretending.
As a preschooler, I remember having a mixed group of friends that included boys and girls. We loved to play outside regardless of the weather. In the winter, we made snowmen and used our sleighs to pull one another. In summer, we built forts or hideouts, and used our creative imaginations to pretend we were Cowboys and Indians fighting each other. Outside games popular in my mom and grandmother’s days like Hide and Seek, and Kick the Can were also popular. During school recesses, I liked to hang upside down on the monkey bars and twirl around or play on the big swings and teeter totters. The girls had a game of jacks and the boys loved to shoot marbles. (Photo on right of my elementary school-it still stands.)
Growing older, I got interested in playing board games with my best girl friend. We loved to sit down for an afternoon after school or on the weekend pursuing riches and success with Monopoly. I even learned how to gamble by playing Poker for pennies. Then there was Canasta-a complicated card game popular at the time with adults too.
Evenings were spent doing homework or watching the limited TV programs available. A favorite group activity during my Jr. High days (photo of me on the left at that age) was going to the roller rink with friends. I always hoped to be picked by a certain boy for the couples skate only. During high school, I enjoyed sports after classes like field soccer and volleyball. Active in the Home Economics club, Scholarship Society, and Chemistry Club plus dancing in Drama productions kept me busy trying to find my place in the world. (To purchase a collection of past columns in book format, contact lin at sunrivertoday dot com.)