What was it like being a child in the midst of a world war? Frankly, I don’t know. I was too preoccupied with learning how to walk, to speak, to just appreciate the love that my parents gave me. My mother had so many tasks to do everyday. One of my favorite times was to sit on the kitchen floor and watch her iron clothes. Mother always gave me a plate filled with crackers with butter on top and a cup of chocolate milk. Unfortunately, she did not know the meaning of calories. All I knew was how l loved the time with her. She sang to me. I apparently was a child who never resisted taking naps.
I was only two years old when my sister Barbara began kindergarten. I called her BobbyAye (still do). I learned so much from her as I was growing up. She taught me how to make strings of rope out of clover and how to draw pictures with chalk all over the sidewalk. When we were older, we would go with our father to my grandmother’s farm and go picking blackberries. We would wade in the creek which was not really safe but children had more opportunity to explore in my generation. We had a swing that hung from a tree and we really went high in the air. In many ways my sister got “stuck” with me but I just loved being with her. We helped Daddy pick up potatoes from his garden, went with him to cut down our Christmas tree, and spent many wonderful hours picking up hickory nuts.
We made all the ornaments on the Christmas tree and decorated the windows with artificial snow. We spent time across the street at Aunt Mattie’s house and climbed up her tree to eat cherries. We played with neighbors in the evening until it got dark and then we collected fireflies in bottles. There are so many stories I could tell—trading comic books, walking to the library and being super quiet because the librarian was irritated all the time, going to the little store with a nickel to spend on penny candy, and skating around the block many times.
We did not know that we had very little money for luxuries. We made our own fun. Playing cards with Daddy and Mother, Monopoly, Parcheesi, and Checkers. Yes, we went to the movies–cost us ten cents and we each had a nickel to buy candy to sit through a double feature.
Winter also held great fun for children of my generation. Near my home was a hill that was the place to go for sledding. Mother made sure our mittens were pinned to our coat sleeves. The men made a huge bonfire at the top so we could stay warm. For hours we would sled down the hill and drag the sled slowly to the top for another run. We threw snowballs at one another for fun. Mother made hot chocolate and we sat on the floors often putting puzzles together. School was never called off. I remember walking in snow up to my knees to get to Washington School where I was taught for eight years of my life.