Remember When: Nostalgic Reflections with Judy Yeager

Judy Yeager, founder of The Southern Lady Cooks, fondly reminisces about simpler times and cherished memories of days gone by.

The Good Ole Days

Remember when children played outside all day?  Remember when parents had to drag the kids into the house at dark?  Remember when we washed their feet and bathed them before bed because they were covered with dirt and dust and sweat rings under the neck from playing with friends?  Remember when they had chigger bites, mosquito bites, and sweat bee bites but loved every minute outdoors.

Many children today spend their time playing games on the internet and have no idea how much fun it was to invent your own games and enjoy feeling the sun beating down on your bare arms and legs or feel the rain on your face during a summer storm. Running through a freshly mowed hay field, picking wild blackberries, playing in a barn loft, or sleeping outside in the backyard in a makeshift tent. Times have changed, and I wonder if our present-day children are missing out on the fun of yesteryear.

My kids grew up without air conditioning and loved the cool breeze from a window fan blowing into their bedrooms at night. They still sleep with fans and look back on the time spent in front of them as special. Coloring, drawing, and reading comic books while listening to the old box fan made for a great way to pass the time. The hum of the fan put them to sleep as babies and still does every night.

Games of the Past

Games like marbles, hopscotch, jacks, kick the can, red rover, etc., seem to be games of the past.  Walkie-talkies made from two tin cans and a string and strung from house to house or a rope swing provided endless hours of fun. A large cardboard box could be used as a wonderful fort.  Roller skates had keys back then to fasten them to your shoes, and homemade soapbox cars provided a way to travel instead of skateboards. We had cousins that had a buckeye tree, and we loved gathering up buckeyes and throwing them at each other and we survived!  We played “jump the stick,” where you lay down two long sticks parallel to each other, and everyone jumps over them. The sticks were moved wider apart each time. The one jumping the widest space won the game. So simple but so much fun with a bunch of participants. Hide-and-seek was always a favorite.  Cheap, healthy entertainment for outdoor fun.

Going fishing or swimming in the creek and taking a picnic lunch was a favorite outing and the creek or pond was a great place. A drive-in movie on Friday or Saturday night made for close family time.  Sunday afternoon rides in the car to a country store and getting a grapette or a coke with a pack of peanuts highlighted the week.

My children seldom went to a doctor unless it was for a school checkup.  Poison oak, cuts and bruises, colds, and such were treated at home with band-aids, baby aspirin, peroxide, and alcohol. Ice cream and chicken noodle soup also helped provide a quick recovery.  They grew up healthy on food prepared from a home garden and meals prepared with ingredients containing no preservatives or additives.

Television was limited not only by parents but by children themselves.  They watched Saturday morning cartoons but would rather be outside playing than in front of the TV.

Today, children stare at a television set like it is the most important thing in their lives.  The television and video games serve as babysitters and entertainment for hours on end.

Simple Living

Some people think the good old days were not so good and all the new technology and inventions of today make this world a better place to live in and raise children.  I often wonder about that since I have been fortunate enough to live in both worlds.  A simpler time and way of living seems to bring families closer.  Just slowing down the fast pace children live with today could give them something to look back on tomorrow and “remember when.”

You may also enjoy: Off The Beaten Path

Learn more about Judy Yeager and our sister site, The Southern Lady Cooks.

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