I am a firm believer that children should be allowed to be children. It makes my heart sad when I see young people having to take care of their aging and ailing parents and grandparents at such a tender age, when it should be the reverse. Looking back on my own childhood makes me smile even today, because I remember all the fun things that we did, and some of the not-so-fun things, as well, that got us into a bit of trouble with our parents. Most of the fun things for my siblings and I were roller skating on metal skates that were lengthened or shortened with a key, or one size fits all; jumping rope by myself or double-dutch with my friends; hop scotch on the sidewalk in front of the house; jack stones, a game that required that we sit on the floor, throw the ten jacks out and grab them back while simultaneously bouncing a small rubber ball, purpose being to see how many we could grab at one time; riding our bicycles on the sidewalk, because we were not allowed to ride in the street, and many other games.

My best elementary school friend was a little German girl named Brigitta. We would often play together at each other’s homes and would pretend that we were married to famous television personalities like Dr. Ben Casey, Dr. Kildare, and Ricky Nelson. I felt sad when Brigitta moved away and often wondered where she was, but soon found other friends. We lived in East Trenton, New Jersey and our neighborhood was a mixture of all races. My sister and I would often pretend that we were the wives of Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble. I would be Wilma and she would be Betty. Most of the television shows were family oriented programs and westerns. We watched the talking horse, Mr. Ed; Lassie, the very bright Collie dog; Father Knows Best; Make Room for Daddy; Dennis the Menace; The Ricky Nelson Show; I Love Lucy; Three Stooges; Spanky and the Gang; Mickey Mouse Club with Annette Funnicello; and everyone wanted to be smart like Shirley Temple singing “On The Good Ship Lollipop”; Bonanza; Roy Rogers and Dale Evans; Wagon Train; our favorite cartoons on Saturday and the list goes on. We lived every minute of our childhood, fantasizing and dreaming of one day becoming many of the things that we saw on TV.

There were no electronic devices such as cell phones, IPads, computers, color televisions, chrome books, or games. We played Operation, Twister, Scrabble, Chess, Checkers, etc. Cars were not air conditioned and the windows were not automatic. Some had radios and some did not. I have two brothers and a sister and we shared bedrooms, boys in one and girls in the other. Thank God that I was the oldest and never had to wear hand-me-downs, but many of my clothes came from big churches in Princeton, New Jersey that would have annual rummage sales, and most of the clothes would be new. I was always complimented on how nice I looked in school, but nobody knew that my blouse, although new, cost only 25 cents. Most of our new clothes came from a store called Atlantic Mills which sold very inexpensive new apparel and shoes for adults and children. Instead of Nikes we had PF Fliers and Keds. However, we were happy and content with what we had, the most important thing being parents that loved us, protected us, and made sure that we had a roof over our head, good food on the table, and everything that we needed, although not everything that we wanted. Our dreams were to be independent with our own money, so we studied and waited for time to pass. 

I once applied for a job at a local factory that required you to be 18 to work, as most factories did in Trenton, which was an industrial town. I put my age up to 18 to get hired when I was only 16, which I am not proud to confess. I worked on a power sewing machine making golf bags and brought home 65.00 per week. My supervisor told me on my last day of work in the summer, “I knew you were not 18, but you wanted to work so bad that I hired you”, and I have been working ever since. I am an adult now and life has brought me a long way from my childhood days, so that I can now have the things that I need and many of the things that I want. 

To the young people today, enjoy your childhood and your family. Be content with what you have for if you remain faithful your day will come when you will be on top of the world. Study hard, be honest, and never forget where you came from. Be happy, for life is filled with swift transitions.

Rev. Dr. Berlinda A. Hart Love, Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Hahira.