What Were They Thinking?

Ahhhhh...the good old days.  The days when things didn't phase anyone.  The days when people didn't give you a second look when it came to the way you raised your kids.  Things our parents and grandparents did to us would get gasps, shrieks, and multiple phone calls to child services.  What brought on this sudden need for reminiscing about childhood?  Going to my grandparents house this afternoon happens to be the culprit.

See, I vacation back to my hometown of Alton, IL at least once a year.  Usually in June or July.  This time it is from the end of June all the way to the end of July.  Today I decided to go over and visit my grandparents for a couple of hours.  The kids went straight to the closet in their computer room and found the bucket of toys that they keep stashed in the closet.  Hunter (the 4 yr old) pulled out this old tea set.  I looked at it as he was pouring his fake tea and serving it to my grandma and the memories began to flood back.

I asked my Grandma if that was the same tea pot from when I was a little girl.  She told me it was the same set.  I started to laugh as my child continued to serve her fake tea from the little plastic tea pot.  I started to think back to being around his age, maybe a year or two older.  I spent most of my weekends with them.  I LOVED to stay with them.  I think my parents loved it too.  haha  Anyway, I remember sitting up in the living room with them on those evenings with that little tea pot in front of me.  I would sit at the coffee table and my grandma would fill it full of coffee.  Yep, you heard me right.  COFFEE.  She would also give me a spoon and a whole bowl of sugar and let me go to town.  She even refilled my pot if I asked.  (my coffee/tea pot not the herbal kind of pot.  Thought I should clarify)  Who gives a child that age coffee?  Especially if they are keeping said child overnight?!  This is stuff that would make parents gasp in horror today.  Not when I was little though.  Nobody questioned you.  They were YOUR kids and you could raise them as you saw fit.  I'm still alive.  Nothing horrible happened.  The coffee did not kill me or stunt my growth.  Well, that I know of.  I am 5'5.  If my growth was stunted, I'm okay with it.  I am happy with my current height.  Okay, back on topic.  As I sat there thinking about those days...the days when I stayed up all night drinking coffee with my grandparents, I remembered just last week when they had come all the way to my house in Texas to help me get things in order and pack up for my trip up here, that I walked in the living room and nearly fainted as I watched my grandma give my little princess her first sips of black coffee.  I don't know why I gasped.  Maybe because feeding a baby coffee should be wrong?  In all honesty though, I was not bothered by it.  She didn't give her a lot and the princess seemed to enjoy it.  If anyone saw me do that at Starbucks I would probably be stoned to death in the town square by all of the perfect parents who do no wrong and know what's best for everyone's child.

Thinking back on the days when I used that tea set as my own personal coffee pot made me realize just how lucky I am to have been raised in such a simpler time, a less judgmental time.  A time when parents could laugh and joke with their kids, a time when spanking in public was okay, a time when you didn't have to look over your shoulder constantly.  There is so much about my childhood that I wish my kids could experience.  I am so grateful to my parents and grandparents for raising me "real".  I had a happy childhood and I have a ton of great memories.  So many more fabulous memories than bad memories.  We had a great balance of freedom and discipline.  I would not trade my childhood for anything.  Especially those coffee filled weekend nights with my grandparents!!!!!!


Here are just a few of the millions of pics I have with my grandparents.  I love them so much and don't know what I would do without them, their love, and their support!

Feeding the ducks with my grandpa

If I remember right, I actually had just peed on my grandma in this pic.  haha

One of my favorite of me and my grandma

I wanted to do everything my grandpa did.  Including running around topless.  haha 

My grandpa would set up a tent in his back yard and let us "camp out".   This was one of those camp outs. 

I was a very loved child.  My grandma and my mother taught me so much about raising children.  I couldn't have asked for better role models.  

Looking at old pictures is one of my favorite things in the world.  I do it a lot.  I could sit for hours looking through albums and boxes of photos at my grandparents.  Seeing that tea set in person just set off a flood of memories that made me head to my parents basement and find some of these old pics.  Hopefully, you all have fond memories like this too.  Memories that make you stop what you're doing, gasp, laugh, smile, snort, choke, close your eyes, cry tears of joy, and make you think "what were they thinking?!" I also hope that you are able to take time to make these same kind of memories with your kids.

30 Day Blogging Challenge, Day 3:::Complete!!!