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Author: Paul Big Bear
Dear friends,
Have you ever looked back on your upbringing and what highlights do you remember among the things you did? I often talk about the experience of growing up in the country, swimming, fishing, and boating. Hiking, camping, swinging on Tarzan vines, and building tree forts in the woods. No TV or radio reception. At the start of the school year we moved back to the city (actually the suburbs) where we had a television, a small black and white one that sat on the living room table and was the center of the room. There was a small rug on the floor, we had rugs in our living room and dining room, but the rug was where we (younger people) sat and watched tv. There was a small radio in the kitchen; this was mainly for Mom to listen to while she did her daily chores, washing dishes, doing laundry, making the bed, vacuuming, mopping the floors, and preparing dinner.
Music was important to me growing up, whether it was on the radio, on a turntable, or played and sung live. I had a box full of “little people”; troops, cowboys and Indians, assorted horses, jeeps, tanks, wagons, all for my little battles. No matter where we lived, there were two One thing remains the same, and that’s eating. Three meals a day, breakfast cooked in the kitchen, lunch eaten there too, unless you’re at school, when dad comes home from work, dinner is already on the table, you know When you get home, your hands and face are washed and ready for dinner. If there is dessert, mom will most likely make jelly, or sometimes mom may make cake or pie. Another constant is reading, before going to bed mom will Read to me Uncle Wigley’s serial stories, books, magazines, newspapers, comic books; we read everything available (read cereal boxes), save your box tops, you can send special offers, you need All it took was an envelope and a two-cent stamp. Yes, reading is very important. I remember that year my parents decided to buy a set of encyclopedias, and the world of reading opened up. Reading took me to many wonderful places, Taking me on adventure after adventure and introducing me to the heroes of history who were the great men who built this country, reading fueled my imagination.
When I got married and started a family, I introduced my sons to books. At bedtime I would take out my guitar and sing to Harry, and then his younger brother Ben when he was born. Music is very important, and so are books, and I read the story of Uncle Wiggly to my boys with Mother Goose, and I told them stories and made sure that when they learned to read, there were plenty of books on the shelves. The bookshelf in my office is always ready to read as they grow, and the bookshelf in their bedroom is filled with age-appropriate books filled with stories to spark their imaginations. I am proud that my children have grown into fine, educated men. I see young friends starting families with their children, and I must say I feel sorry for them, as their reading, music, conversations, and social interactions are all done through their phones. It is a pleasure to hold a book in hand, read, turn the pages, use bookmarks, and discuss what they are reading at the dinner table. Tables are now stands at fast-food restaurants or pizza parlors, or in cars where food can be picked up from the drive-in window. Yes, I grew up in a different world of wonder, the excitement of book learning, and imagination. Music, books, movies, progress in every stage of life comes from imagination, a future that I sometimes cannot imagine.
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