By Tatiauna Miller

Do you remember your childhood? Like really remember it? Do you recall all those things and people you loved like your friends, recess, toys and fun times? I feel like as an adult I’ve never created that same level of joy as when I was a child. Perhaps as a child the fun was just simple and carefree, adult fun seems more orchestrated, too thought out, with too many guidelines.

Do you remember recess being the most amazing part of your school day? I remember the excitement of when the teacher tells you to line up to go outside, it was like receiving a gift every day. When you were a child lining up was like the best thing ever, because you knew you were going to be anywhere besides the classroom. As an adult, I will avoid anything that has a line, Chipotle, Starbucks, the bathroom, it doesn’t matter, as soon as I see a line I’m automatically thinking “Nope”.

Walking to recess in line was the gauntlet for some kids, somebody always got into trouble and had to sit with the teacher during recess. I remember the class trying to get that one kid to quiet down, we shushed him/her so they wouldn’t get in trouble. Kids always have the loudest whisper and have no clue that everyone can hear them.
In movies when someone dies and reaches “the light” and those closed doors open and sunlight spills out; that’s how I remember the school doors opening to the playground. The sun pouring in and I’ve reached heaven and we all would run out screaming and shouting for no reason. As an adult, that moment is mimicked in miniscule degrees when we walk out of work, we sigh, loosen the tie and take the ID card off our shirts. From now on I should run out of work like I’m going to the recess, recapture that childhood joy. Yeah right, I’d probably get arrested and fired for being crazy.

Once we got on the playground the level of “pretending” was crazy! We would be pirates, canoeing on the Nile River knights and princess. I remember laughing and running so hard that I was fun drunk. Playing tag was the best, as long as no one cheated. On those days when your best friend was absent you got stuck “playing house” with them tired ass kids. The “house playing” kids never turned anyone down, you were always welcomed with them. The majority of the time I was told to be the “Mom” to some bad ass kids and somebody always wanted to be the “crazy dog”, who got loose and attacked people. I remember that kid that wanted to be the “crazy dog”, that was the “wild can’t sit down kid” who was always banded from recess because of his/her behavior. I remember thinking that kid was crazy for real.

When you were a kid, the most basic food was delicious. Do you remember how hyped you were about McDonalds? McDonald’s Happy Meals used to be amazing! I would read every corner of the Happy Meal box looking for hidden clues and activities. But you know what was more amazing than Happy Meals? Prizes from the cereal box! I remember pouting when my parents wouldn’t let me dig in the box to get the prize. Cereal box prizes used to be like buried treasure to me. If the box had a picture of a binoculars on it, I had already imagined it to be real ones. Like they are going to put real binoculars in a cereal box.

I would be excited until I open the plastic bag and it was cardboard binoculars, which I had to put together. I’d still played with it, but I remember feeling cheated. Back then it seemed like no one had peanut allergies, because peanut butter was everywhere in school. Every snack in school was some fruit or vegetable with peanut butter or raisins. I remember the smell of sweaty kids, peanut butter, paper and Pine Sol, that’s what school smelled like to me. Now the workplace smells like anxiety sweat, coffee and paper, not sure what’s worse?

Do you remember liking something so much you watched, listened to or played with it every second of the day? I remember road trips with my parents and begging them to play John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt over and over again. My dad would pantomime the song which made it even better, that was my live music video. I had strange taste in movies too. I loved Willow and the Labyrinth. I think I was obsessed with little people with British accents. I had favorite clothing too! I had a pair of pink and black bicycle shorts, those where my go to everyday accessory. My mom hated those shorts, she called them funky bikers. I’m pretty sure I wore a hole in them or my mom threw them out. I also loved Legos and Barbie’s, I had tons of both. I would build mini Lego villages for my Barbie’s to explore.

I’m happy my daughter loves Legos too but I’m not invited to help her build anymore. We fight over the pieces and I can’t stop myself from taking over and building the whole damn set in 5 minutes Vs her 2 days. I can’t even watch her play with them she drives me crazy! She’s more interested in sticking on the window stickers and playing with the Lego people, than building the castle.

I remember as a kid we always wanted to be grown up. Now as an adult I want to be a kid, we all struggle to turn back time when life was simpler…

Thanks for giving me your time and have a beautiful day, laugh, live and love more like children.

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