In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Childhood Revisited.”
Sure, you turned out pretty good, but is there anything you wish had been different about your childhood?
If you have kids, is there anything you wish were different for them?
During the years as a young child, I dreamed of riding horses and walking along beaches. 60’s era television and encyclopedias expanded my thoughts until I was able to have my dreams come true many years into my future.
As an adult, before I was a father, I rode horses, visited beaches and fell in love while consuming copious amounts of seafood. As a father, I provided my children with many of the activities I dreamed of as a child.
So spring breaks, summers vacations and weekends were spent either at the beach or camping in the wilderness. These activities became a part of my kids lives as they were raised.
During a family vacation camping trip to the National Parks in South Dakota, my son enjoyed his first horse trail ride. As I watched him leave the staging area, I immediately thought of myself at his age, when I wished to ride a horse as a child. It was an emotional moment I will never forget. At that moment, I realized I was a successful parent, as I passed on the dreams of my past to my children.
There isn’t too much I would have done differently for my kids during their formative years. However, I felt my age during the late 1990’s, when I set up my son’s first computer.
He was using the encyclopedia program when he turned to me to ask. “Hey, Dad did you have a computer when you were growing up?” I was immediately surprised and quickly said no.
I told him how I was not permitted to use a hand-held calculator during my school years for math tests.
My children are recipients of my tales, explaining the differences between their childhood and mine. As I explained these differences, I understood the importance to impress upon them, the fundamental moral, and ethical values of respect, honesty, honor, and family have not changed since I was a child.
As a retired older kid, I visit the beach almost daily, eat lots of seafood and my love of horse riding still fires my soul, but I love my bicycle just as well.
Most importantly, I’ll continue to live out my childhood daily, until the day I die.
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