Once Upon A Time…

I recently rediscovered a song that I somehow remember hearing many times throughout my childhood and have had it playing on my iPod and computer almost continuously ever since.
A special someone colored me a picture of a Sesame Street character I grew up knowing as “Cookie Monster.”  This picture, however, featured a character that looked much like Cookie Monster except he had assorted vegetables in front of him and the caption originally read, “Me love veggies!”
A few weeks ago, in my Psychology lab, we were talking about modeling behavior and stereotypes.  To illustrate how much violence is in some children’s shows, we watched a segment of an episode of Power Rangers.  After class, many of us joked about the over-acting and special effects.
What do these things have in common with each other and too many other tings?  They were all part of a childhood that is long gone and forgotten for most of us.  Sure, the song from my childhood may be different than someone else’s, and maybe a lot of girls didn’t watch Power Rangers but you can surely think of other things from your childhood that have been lost or forgotten.
So what happened to that childhood?  Surely society did not simply delete everything associated with those years, erasing it forever.  No, that can’t be possible because, chances are, that childhood crush you had is probably still alive and well, and your parents probably still have much of your childhood stuff.  So where did it go?  I’m willing to bet that it’s still in your memory, just shoved back behind years of experiences and book-learning.
We all need a little relief from the everyday stresses and strains of our lives.  Since those memories are still there, why don’t you access them, get a little reprieve, and take a stroll down memory lane?  Do this with a friend or parent to help remind you of things you once loved but have since forgotten.  Take some time to write those things down and, every once in a while, pull out that list of memories out and re-live them in your mind.  After all, to feel the freedom and carelessness of a child again, you have to remember what it’s like to be a child.
Once you’ve done this, post a memory, favorite book or TV show, or things you used to do, and read about what others did and liked.  Who knows, maybe you’ll find out your worst enemy actually liked and did many of the same things as you! 

11/10/2009

© 2007-2009 Jacob Tauer
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