#RealPeople #RealLives – John
Fond memories of my childhood - An article by John (one of our retirement living residents in Halifax)
"After I was born in the late 1930’s I was put into towelling nappies, and then into a brightly coloured cot painted with lead based paint, and then given similar wooden toys on which to ‘cut’ my teeth. There we no childproof caps on bottles, no locks on bathroom cabinets, no staircase safety gates and just a portable fireguard.
When I rode my bike I had no helmet, no knee pads or elbow protectors and, very often, no brakes! I also rode in a car with no seat belts, no airbags and no MOT. I drank water from hosepipes and streams and had never seen water in a bottle, only milk, usually purloined from a neighbourhood step. This was passed around for friends to share, and nobody ever seems to ‘catch’ anything. I ate berries and food from my pocket, which had often been there for days, with no ill effects. I loved cream cakes, white bread, chips, suet pudding and real butter and no one I knew seemed to get fat. I never saw a TV until 1953 (Yes! - for the Coronation!), and play stations, videos/DVD’s, computers and mobile phones were well into the future.
What I did have was loads of friends. I often left home early in the morning and played all day where nobody could find me, and, as long as I was home before dark, nobody worried about me. I fell out of trees, got cuts and bruises, got soaking wet and ate beans out of a can! I spent hours helping to make go-carts out of old prams and only after running into numerous bushes and walls did I learn how to make brakes. I carried a sheath knife on my belt, and made swords, bows and arrows and catapults and nobody ever seemed to get hurt. We walked what seemed like miles, to the local Saturday morning cinema, and couldn’t understand why the good guy in the white hat never reacted when we all shouted: “Look out, he’s behind you!”
At school the slightest misdemeanour resulted in the cane across your hand or bottom, and we’d never heard of sex education! My parents didn’t help if I got into trouble at school or with the local policeman. They always took the side of authority, whether you were guilty or not, and openly encouraged a ‘good hiding’.
As part of the 1945 to 1953 generation, I had to learn to take care of myself, take my own risks, solve my own problems and make things happen. I learned all about freedom, responsibility, consideration for others and both failure and success. What I did learn I never forgot and, most of all, I was happy!
If I could, would I swop my childhood to that being experienced by children today? Not a chance!"
This article was originally sent to the Halifax Courier by our resident John for publication in 2006
If you’ve got an interesting life story that you’d be happy to share publicly why not email it through to customers@stonewater.org (marking it ‘FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM’ in the subject box) and we’ll look to publish the best ones we receive!