Good Ol’ Days


Good Ol’ Days

This time of year, always brings back a flood of fond memories—days of my childhood when my entire universe revolved around the end of summer vacation and the crisp anticipation of going back to school. I hope my reflections give you a cause to pause and treasure your own past, recognizing how truly blessed you are to possess a treasure trove of times past to exchange with family and friends. Sharing memories spawns a beautiful opportunity to see how much we have in common, allowing us to put aside our differences of age, gender, or background to simply enjoy where we’ve been. So, sit back, relax, and join me on a trip down my memory lane.

Unlike today, school did not start until September. To be exact, the first day of school was always the Tuesday after Labor Day. Preparing for that morning was a special and exciting weeks-long ritual that followed a strict preparation schedule. Parents did a full assessment of what you would need to be prepared for the new year, which included evaluating your wardrobe, stocking up on school supplies, and scheduling press and curls for the girls and fresh haircuts for the boys. I fondly remember my mother going through my clothes, holding my dresses up to my shoulders to see which hems needed to be let out after a summer growth spurt, the same was done for the boys pants. Church shoes were converted into daily school shoes, but the most exciting part of the entire ritual was heading out to go shopping for brand-new school supplies-especially lunch boxes and satchels.

When the first day finally arrived, the playground was abuzz with laughter and children dressed in their first-day-of-school garb. With new supplies in hand, we were fully prepared for the hard work required to study and show ourselves approved to advance to the next grade. Yet, as exciting as school was, the real joy of being a child in the 1950s happened outside the walls of our homes and school. walls.

Play was a big part of childhood back then—a robust, physical, and joyful adventure. Unlike today, children were far more in control of what they did, with very little parental intervention in our daily playtime. We certainly had household responsibilities, but once our chores were done, our time and how we spent it was pretty much unsupervised. While some kids went to the local YMCA or neighborhood park fieldhouses for organized activities, I preferred to join in with the children on the block to play “piggie,” or take long, exploratory bike rides through our neighborhood and beyond.

We would jump Double Dutch, or master hop-scotch, marbles, tag, Red Rover, dodgeball, and Hide ’n Seek. Games like "Doggie Doggie Your Bone is Gone", and “Captain May I” were saved for the classroom, but outside, the street was our domain. The play activities we enjoyed were much more physical than those I see children engaged in today. Back then, I would hear the gleeful laughter of my friends playing right outside my window and could hardly wait to finish my homework, practice my accordion so that I could run out and join the fun.

Beyond the games, there was the hunting for pop bottles in alleys, parks, and even our own kitchen pantries. Back then, pop came only in glass bottles that could be returned to any grocery store for a cash deposit. It was a minimum of two cents per small bottle, while the large quart bottles from Canfield fetched five cents, and gallon milk jugs brought a whopping fifteen cents.  For many, it was our first hustle.

The return of these bottles meant instant money for us as close as our corner grocery store or school store. We would often pool our money to buy penny candy (getting at least two pieces for only a single penny), spinning tops, Duncan hesitating yoyos, paper kites, unassembled balsa wood airplanes, or a magic writing slate. We also bought treats that are now nearly lost to time: Beech-Nut, Chum, Fan-Tan, and Teaberry gums; Sen-Sen breath mints; and candy bars like Big Time, Hollywood, Milkshake, Butter-Nut, and the Seven Up bar.   We would happily share a small brown paper bag overfilled with crushed potato chips doused with hot sauce, or break in half a huge “nickle pickle” with a candy peppermint stick stuck right through the middle—a treat that, for some reason, was always more popular with the girls than the boys.

The operative word when you and a friend went to the store was to share your purchases. However, if there were folks hanging outside of the store you had to immediately yell, “No cobs” before entering the store.  Otherwise, the folks hanging around outside would expect to share in what you purchased when they yelled “cobs”.

I deeply miss those friendly neighbors who owned the local corner stores. In fact, my own parents were among that special group. They owned a grocery store on 62nd Street between Cottage Grove and Evans, right across the street from Branch’s Bath House and the Davis Furniture Store, where Reverend Dr. Johnnie Colemon dynamically started Southside Unity on the 2nd floor. Most memorable about our location was that it sat directly across from the world-renowned Trianon Ballroom, which hosted the greatest big bands and jazz musicians and singers of the era. As a fascinating bit of trivia, legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock’s father purchased my parents’ store in 1955.

My path down memory lane shared in this article is a narrow one, but I hope it opens you up to sharing your own past with your family. They might be genuinely surprised to learn how different—or how much the same—your childhood activities were compared to what they called fun as children. Be prepared to hear some true confessions, from your adult children about what they did versus what they told you they were doing at the time! Try sharing these stories at your next family gathering. You might find that sharing memories of your childhood and encouraging your children and grandchildren to do the same may create a closer family bond.  Let them see you as a child, and not as the older non-playful person that they recognize you as today.  Let them know that you too were once a playful child back in the good ol’ days.

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ: What is your favorite memory from the good ol’ days?  

 Answer to Last Week's Quiz: Two of the most common signs of dementia are short term memory loss and loss of starting and completing multi step tasks.

 For Questions or Help: 773-817-0601 basheriff1@gmail.com

Disclaimer: The illustrations and examples presented in this column are not, nor are they intended to be, legal, financial, tax, insurance, or other licensed professional advice. Readers should consult the licensed professional of their choice regarding their individual circumstances.

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