When We Were Kids

Author: Bev Woodman
Word Count: 522
previous browse writing next

When We Were Kids

I was inspired to write this poem while listening to two elderly men talking about their youth and how today’s children are quite restricted in what they can do. Today’s child has an organised life, one heavily supervised with little chance of them experiencing the everyday life of a child growing up two generations before! The creativity of past generations are lost today because of what we experienced back then and how we improvised to make our own fun.

If it’s written then it can never be lost!

When We Were Kids belongs to the following groups:

All Things Poetic, Artistic, Philosophical, Everyday Life, History, Remember When, Something To Say and The Word Tree

I bumped into a mate today
Just someone I use to know but had lost touch with along the way.
We started chattin and talkin bout how the times had changed.
He sat and thought a bit and then had this to say!

Do you remember how much freedom we had when we were lads?
We’d walk to school, rain, hail or shine
No pickin us up that was certain
We’d drink that bloody hot milk behind the bubbler shed
all covered in wet hession bags to stop it all from curdlin!

We’d swear allegiance to the Queen each and every day
The teachers didn’t take no cheek and we listened to what they’d say!
We’d write our lines with nibs dipped in an ink well
with blottin paper to mop it up … we’d smudge it and rewrite it again just for hell!
We’d learn our tables and songs and stuff then look forward to the bell.

Goin home was always fun and we rallied with the gang
We’d shoot shangies and slug guns – legal it was back then.
Weekends it was the 22 slung across our shoulders
Walking down main street with not a second glance then up into the bush we’d sneak and hide behind a boulder -
Foxes and snakes were our prey
and no one said nuthin if we were away all day.

We swam in the river or the dam
No swimming pools back then.
We didn’t wear togs, hats or sunscreen
we just dripped dried – no beach towels for us
No parents round to make a fuss
We just ran loose …
and to think of it we didn’t even wear any bloody shoes!

We all had billy carts built from wood or whatever we could nick
We raced em down a hill so steep it would make our mother’s sick.
We made our own fireworks and sometimes blew up the shed
It made our parents pretty mad and facing the strap we’d dread!

Saturday was special as to the flics we’d go
They were pictures then not movies and we’d fight for the back row.
Two main features, cartoons and intermission
and fighting for the lolly counter for little guys like us was always a mission.

The circus often came to town
with all the animals, glitter and clowns
They paraded down main street then to the park
we’re we’d all rush and stay till after dark.

We swapped our stories for near an hour and when our time was done
We shook hands and parted knowing that we’d had some fun
recalling all those memories about the good old days
About the times we’d shared before we went our separate ways.

So I finished the day thinking with memories running through my head
as contentment overwhelmed me and I drifted to sleep in my comfy bed!

Kristina K

fab, i can just remember some of these things, :) k
Bev Woodman replied

Thanks Kristina for taking the time to read this and so pleased you remembered ‘some of these things’. Having two brothers and then three sons I know only too well what boys get up to.
Carol Lewsley

well written bev i can just remember a few of those things but i must say we all had freedom back then, years ago we would all go out in groups and have good clean fun (oh those were the days) geez i’m just starting to sound like my mum (sigh) i must be getting older
Bev Woodman replied

Thanks Cazz – I’m pleased it brought back memories – if nothing else I’ve achieved just that!
Kristina K

i got up to some of these things too, not the billy cart but the inkwell writing and am still in my forties getting into trouble for having bare feet,, one of the pics on my site is of the pondage i used to go swimming in all ours of the day or night, my friend and i used to ride everywhere and dothe boy thing, hehe :) k
Bev Woodman replied

Sounds Oh so familiar – having brothers and male cousins, I found myself in the middle of a lot of their pranks.
Steve Woodman

Yep, those were the day, me and the dog running wild through the bush from sun up to sun down.
Bev Woodman replied

Who will ever forget Ricky – now he was a super dog (reinarnated into Oscar)
jadeast

Bev, Your Poem applies as much here in the US as it does in Oz, thank you for sharing this. The days were good when your four year could roam the roads or the fields without fear someone grabbing them up. when if the teacher whipped you at school, you got whipped again at home for getting whipped at school. The world was a much safer place.
Bev Woodman replied

Thanks Jade for the comment and I’m so pleased you could relate to it – I think today’s kids unless they are living in the bush are missing out on so much and they would have to be lacking in imagination too. If we wanted something we made it (or did without)!
GloriaDK

Bev, this is great, and yes to all the above. I try not to read the news too much today you hear too much crime and violence. It was much cleaner and safer in those days.
Bev Woodman replied

Thanks Gloria – I’m amazed at the reaction and reflection this has produced – I guess we will never forget our childhood days and feel they were simpler.
jadeast

yeah bev we had some of the best toys and made them all ourselves. I’m considered a survivalist to many of my friends, simply because we had to have a variety of skills to get by living in the country.
Bev Woodman replied

Your right there Jade – my dear late father taught us all so much of how to improvise – he never threw anything out, he had the most amazing shed full of everything he just might need one day – it broke our hearts the day we had to sift threw all his collection.
KazM

At uni I wrote a rememberance piece like this called Playdays. Thanks for reminding us. Lovely words
Bev Woodman replied

Thanks Kaz – its nice to cling to memories and oh so important to document them and the changes over the years
KazM

It is especially important to document the female
point of view which in the past has been too often neglected
Bev Woodman replied

Your right Kaz – in family history you can usually always find the male documented somewhere however not the female, other than for births or on convict indents. Often they weren’t even mentioned on the headstones. They endured so much and should not be forgotten.
KazM

Even currently it is more likely that my brother’s life will be documented than mine unless I make an effort
Bev Woodman replied

You know how to fix that – document it yourself. That’s what my husband and I are currently doing (and have been for years), documenting our lives along with all our ancestors back to their arrival in Australia from 1788.
KazM

Have done some of my mum & g’mas and mine at uni. Must get back to it one day till then my images will have to illustrate me
barnsis

Amazing, different countries but the same memories, I keep a story file that I add titles to as a reminder when I think of them, so now I have to go jot down some you have reminded me of. Thanks, very well done.
Bev Woodman replied

Thank you for the comment – you’re right we all have very similar memories regardless of where we are in the world – these change from generation to generation but are always interesting to compare. Pleased you liked it.
Enivea

You’ve captured the essence of those times brilliantly Bev, and it has a lovely lilt to it, well done :-))
Bev Woodman replied

Thank you for the lovely comment and so pleased you enjoyed relating to this one.
Marilyn Harris

Brilliant work Bev!! Times sure were different back them that’s for sure!! Having 3 lads myself I can really relate to this!!! lol!! :o)
Bev Woodman replied

Thanks Marilyn for the comment and its special when you can relate to it as well. Thanks for favouriting this one.
Jane Best

THis is lovely Bev, and SO true! Not as many opportunities for kids to be creative like we had.
Bev Woodman replied

Hi Jan – thanks for stopping by and commenting – its so appreciated.
Kasia Kotlarska

Hi Bev, your poem is lovely.
Bev Woodman replied

Hi Kasia – thanks for stopping by and thank you for the compliment. I must say I had a look at your work and your flower images are magnificent – great work.
shallay

You say about documenting from a female pov – but this is male! What would your point of view have been as female in those times – I would be more interested in knowing that! This piece reminds me of books I read at school – particularly Alan (‘I Can Jump Puddles’) Marshall.
It’s really before my time – reminds me of my parent’s generation, when they talked of walking to school barefoot (which I envied!) – although I suspect Dad had it tough because he didn’t talk about any of that much. I could have lived in this time and really enjoyed it – but I suspect I would have enjoyed it more as a man than woman – while childhood might have been bliss, adulthood still meant marriage, household labour and lots of children! – with few opportunities to escape to a more meaningful existence – unless as nurse or schoolteacher! *(Great poem, anyhow!)
Bev Woodman replied

Hi Shallay – not sure where you got the female side of things from. I overheard two elderly gentleman talking about their youth and I have written it in the male text about male issues. Don’t worry about the female side of things as I have written about these many times and am at present putting together a historical novel on the life of one of my direct female convict ancestors who I believe lived it all and experienced it all – a life none of us could ever have survived. Her name was Bridget and she is my inspiration especially when I think things are tough – it reminds me that I only think I have it tough, our women folk from days gone by had horrendous lives but as they didn’t know any better, they survived and made the best of what they had. Some may have been happy but I think the vast majority weren’t – I guess it all came back to how compassionate their husbands were and what their life situation was all about. I intend to write plenty more of these women who really shaped the country we live in today. Thank you so much for reading this and especially for commenting.