On "Throwback Thursday" I become very melancholy.  I enjoy looking at the old pictures people post and I think about the good old days.  I remember some events from my young days, but not much. I do know, they were really the best times because jobs were easier to find, houses were easier to buy, and toys for kids were simple and affordable.  Children were more in tune to their youth and definitely played more outside and didn't have a thousand scheduled extra activities.  The only extra activity I had was the Girl Scouts. During that time, we actually had to earn the badge. I learned so much from this organization during a time when life was much more laid back and mothers were home all day.

Unfortunately, the dangers that existed all around us were not emphasized as they are today.  We actually went door-to-door selling our cookies, without an adult accompanying us. I encountered an experience at one house that forced my parents to forbid me to go around by myself any more. A young man exposed himself to me, but I couldn't remember which house it was!  It could have ended much worse, and I was fortunate.  Because my parents were uncomfortable asking people to buy girl scout cookies, I was never able to reach my "quota" after that.  I also remember the boxes being around 25 cents, which is a far cry from $4 a box containing only about ten cookies!

I also remember bangs.  Young girls all had bangs about one inch long that were never cut straight and were usually longer on one side.  Most of our mothers cut our bangs, and usually right before school pictures.  Because my forehead is gigantic, and the bangs were so short, my huge forehead became the focal point of all the pictures.  Also, my eyes were already big and looked even bigger.  This earned me the nickname "headlights".  Between the call of "headlights" and the rhyming nickname, "Benedetti Spaghetti",  I was not a happy child with those silly bangs!

But, I grew up anyway and I was not psychologically marred for life.  The uncomfortable embarrassments of our childhood, and some unfortunate situations, are all part of becoming responsible adults.  My parents never fought my battles for me, and I never expected them to do that.  Of course, I am not talking about serious situations that do require parent intervention. It seems parents today are so ready to jump in at the least infraction toward their children, especially when it comes to their teachers.  I had some terrible teachers, but I knew I had to plug through and do the best I could.  And my word over the teachers?  Forget it.  The teacher was always right and I was in trouble. Bullies?  I was bullied in Kindergarten.  The teachers watched out for me and I got through it.  I know I was only five, but it was serious and involved torn dresses and my head pushed into a tree.  I think because I was so naive, and definitely blonde, that I disregarded the whole thing and had no trouble in my later years.  No deep depression, and no brain damage from being hit by a tree. (Well, the verdict is still out on that one!!)

I know nothing stays the same and life is constantly changing.  We all long to go back to a simpler time.  The only way to get through it is to accept the changes and try to go ahead with them. When one plan doesn't work, "make a new plan, Stan."  I'm still working on a new plan, but my problem is I'm lazy and lack the self-confidence to move ahead.  Once we conquer our fear of failure, keep getting up when we just want to stay down, and look life in the eye and spit at it, we can put the plan into action. That's life!