Growing up there were lots of things that I thought were normal and then the older I got and the more friends I got to know, the more I realized my life was kind of out of the ordinary.
I always thought my house was oober normal! I thought having 9 siblings was normal but then I saw the faces on people when I’d say I had that many siblings and well…it wasn’t so normal after all. Most families had between 1 and 3 kids and here I was with triple that amount!
I also thought that being raised by your sisters was normal but apparently parents raise their kids in the U.S. hmmm that one was new for me. I had my brothers and sisters punish me, reprimand me, help with homework, sign my school notes, drive me places etc…
Growing up I never realized how much my parents struggled to keep us all fed, rested and happy. I remember when I was younger me and my twin used to sleep in a closet because we just didn’t have enough room for everyone. They’d lay pillows and blankets on the floor of a walk in closet, close the door, and that was lights out! I always looked at it as being cool! It was my own secret hide-out where nobody came in but me and I would write little messages on the door and create this little wonderland in there. To me it was never depressing or sad it was exciting! I had the best of times in there!
I also remember the Vieja making the most of every meal! We grew up eating beans and rice pretty much every night. We never noticed that the Vieja always served us a crap load of water in the beans to make it last longer or that dinner was some rice and bananas or just the pot of soup she made was basically potatoes and veggies with 4 pieces of chicken so only the first four to eat got the meat. Every meal was filled with bread and tortillas so that you’d get full. My Vieja knew how to make a meal out of anything and we never dared not eat every last bite of it. In our house it was a sin to throw the smallest bite of food away!
We didn't get new toys all the time or these awesome electronics for Christmas presents. Gifts were always clothes with a chocolate bar in one of the pockets or some shoes.
We made our own toys. Slip ‘n Slide?? Nope, we ripped up garbage bags and set the sprinkler and just slid down the bags. Bubble wands? Nope we used dish soap and the lids from salt shakers to make bubbles or we used the fly swatter sometimes too! We made our own sling shots out of a bottle and a balloon. I remember once we used beans instead of rocks to sling at each other and the Vieja was sooo mad! We were trying to play but to her we were throwing away food and she made us search for all the frijoles we'd thrown!
Looking back I sometimes wish things were more normal but at the same time I don't because those days make me appreciate my brothers and sister and parents. I appreciate every moment they made creative.
Now I look at my family and all the creativity is gone. People are stuck on Playstations and Iphones and Laptops and big screen t.v.'s. Nobody is out building a sling shot or making a Slip 'n Slide. Everything is too easy, every memory is bought rather than created....
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