Ah, the good old days. Summer was longer, homework was shorter, and those dreaded teenager years were far ahead of us. After spending two weeks mentoring 10-year-olds at a creative writing camp, I've realized that there are some aspects of childhood that I really wish hadn't slowly drifted into the past.
1. Outdoor Activities
Jump rope, hopscotch, four-square, volleyball, bike riding, slip-n-slides, water balloons, picnics, sprinkler swimming and pretending to be stranded survivors in the wilderness of our backyards. We had all the time in the world.
2. Children's Books
Fairy tales and fables may be repetitive and a bit hard to believe sometimes, but it's the message that counts. Have you heard the story of Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih? It's essentially about two sisters, whose names mean garlic and red onion, who receive pumpkins from an old lady that contain either treasure or scary insects and snakes. Sounds strange, but if you read the story it will make perfect sense. It's no "Game of Thrones" or John Green novel, but you can never be reminded of these lessons enough.
3. Music Lessons
I took piano lessons for 11 years and guitar lessons for like three weeks. Practicing was never at the top of my list of things I was looking forward to, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. I've gotten out of the habit of playing, but maybe writing this article will inspire me to pick it back up.
4. Coloring
I don't know about you, but 80 percent of my elementary school years was devoted to coloring. Coloring books, those lovely 2D houses with a happy stick-people family standing proudly outside, and dogs. Many dogs. I know those adult coloring books are gaining popularity, but they're hard! I'd much rather color Disney princesses than those ridiculously intricate designs.
5. Wardrobe
It was all about comfort, colors and cats. And that's how it should stay. My freshman year roommate laughs at me because my current wardrobe consists of various shades of blue and gray and the occasional faded green T-shirt. I'm going to blame it on my age. Also, let's go back to dressing up as "Toy Story" characters and Rapunzel for Halloween, shall we?
6. Third Grade Confidence
I sang. A song. I wrote. In front of my third grade class... by choice. Need I say more?
7. Grandparents' House
The food there was just so much better. No bedtime, no chores, not a care in the world. I met my grandma for lunch today and we had a very nice time. But I don't spend nearly as much time with my grandparents as I used to, even though they feed me and tell me cool stories about their weird relatives and what life was like before television.
Of course, some things never change. I will always love Winnie the Pooh and Pixar movies, and my mother will probably continue to wake me up on my birthday with her 'lovely' singing voice until I'm 50. It's hard growing up sometimes, but it's not all bad. I'm just grateful I had such a wonderful childhood in which I learned the two most important things in life: how to dream big and dress myself.
