Me!Me!

What 5 Things do you miss about your childhood?

But first, the rules to this meme game: Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place. Add your blog’s name in the #5 spot; link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross pollination effect.

1. Busy Mom
2. Tale of a baby Human
3. Mrs. Flinger
4. Bunintheoven
5. O. Baby!

Next: select new friends to add to the pollen count. (No one is obligated to participate--forgive me if you’ve already done it and I haven’t seen it yet. and forgive me just because unwanted pain in the arse meme's can be taxing.)

1. Sara
2. Jen
3. Allie
4. Wendy

Okay, here are my personal 5 things that I miss from childhood:

1) Having my best friends within 2 blocks of my house. I could pop over unannounced and spend the day playing in their backyard with them. We could meet at the park down the street and swing or slide to our heart's content. I would see my friends more if they lived 2 blocks away, even if our idea of playing has changed somewhat.

2) Summer camp. Going away without the parents was SUCH a big deal. Especially if it involved prepubescent girls and boys and innocent romance. *sigh* I still think fondly on the songs that take me back to summer camp "loves" like Europe's "Carrie", Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye", The Cure's "Fascination Street."

3) Mixtapes! I loved the funky '80's multi-colored tapes. I would cram as many varied weird songs as I could possibly fit onto a tape and write up elaborate song lists on the inserts. My friends loved them so much they made me make them their own.

4) Hanging out at the mall and going to movies with my girlfriends and not worrying. Our parents would leave us at the mall all afternoon, and I don't think they ever thought twice about it. The memories of that freedom are so bittersweet now, because I know my children will never be so lucky.

5) My Grandparents, particularly my Grandmother. My mother's mother died when I was 8, and I still think about her all the time. I would give anything to have one more day with her, to show her my incredible family. I know she sees us and I talk to her in my own way, but so much of my young childhood was filled with her love.