As you probably noticed, we generally like to keep it light and fun on Life of Dad as much as possible but when we asked our community what they miss from their own childhood, things got a little deep which was really cool because it told us what we already knew: that while dads can be jubilant and hilarious, we can also mine our emotions, be wistful and get really honest with the world.
In short, modern guys have a ton of range and that came out loud and clear when we got to talking about childhood memories. Here’s a sampling of what real dads (and moms) miss most about childhood.
Jøsh Pøtts: “I miss waking up every day and feeling like time never existed.
The days seemed to last forever. We weren’t controlled by 2 hands on a clock.
We didn’t have to worry about responsibility.
We lived with smiles and laughter.
But now, it’s nice to see our kids living the same way. They deserve it.”
Crystal Ward: “Fun…everything seemed fun.
And I miss the relationships I had with the people that have passed away.
And not having a clock rule the day, do whatever for how ever long you like.”
Ginny Berry Garner: “Sleep. getting to spend every day with my mom and dad and brothers. my childhood home in PA. think about these things every day.”
Spencer Washington: “Saturday morning cartoons, new school clothes, Hot Wheels, Sega games, 4th of July fireworks, my four brothers and my parents. I didn’t appreciate my family then as much as I do now.”
Benny Barrette: “The whistle. You know, no text or call to get home, werent invented. Land lines only. Barely had cordless lol. Mom stood at the edge of the porch and belted a high pitch whistle and we knew it was time to go home.”
Marcello Uriegas: “Everything was a new adventure. It didn’t matter if I walked the same way home I was always looking for money, gold, a toy, whatever. Fun was wherever my little legs, or bike would take me.”
Frank C. Fourie: “My family. We were a tight knit group with loads of get togethers, once my grandpa passed away it all went away. So yeah, absolutely the closeness of what families are supposed to be, that is what I miss.”
Adele Moran: “Long summer nights playing kick the can and hiding from me mum when it was time to go in she would be stood there shouting my name. Running round in just my knickers summers were hotter back then. Chasing the ice cream man.”
Mark Rollinson: “Any free time running into the woods hiking back half a mile or so to work on our tree fort that overlooked a river. We were kings…”
Toddshell Dobbie: “My dad…. Wish I could see him once more just to tell him how much he means to me.”
Scott Reid: “Disney Popsicles… They don’t make them anymore. Everything else, time, imagination- all of it is a gift for us to give now. I was lucky enough to have been a kid, but it ran it’s course. Now I get to see the wonderment in my children’s eyes. It’s an experience all on it’s own.”
Pastel Shaline: “Being blind to all the bad. And everything being so simple in life because we didn’t understand yet. Not a care in the world just lived and took each day as it was.”
David Fraga: “Saturday morning cartoons, playing outside, walking home from school, playing during recess, gym time, toys, Going to an arcade for hours, bike riding for hours, sleepovers, I can keep going!”
Mark Newkirk: “Camping and fishing with my grandpa and learning to work with my uncle. Seems we all agree on not worrying about the time all that much back then.”
What’s the one thing you miss most about childhood? Share it with us on the Life of Dad Facebook page!
*Flickr photo by Philip Schatz, used under Creative Commons license.