Childhood Reflection

just started reading this book Me & Emma upon recommendation.  i can already tell it will be a doozy - 70 pages into it and it is already pulling at my heart strings. it begins with an 8 year old girl and her relationship with her sister, two years younger.  they're buds and it's wonderful. 

the book has got me to thinking about my own childhood.  and from that look back, i have pulled out a memory of my favorite must-see tv lineup (real deep on my part, i know).  when i wasn't in the basement listening to my brothers' albums (i was down there a lot.  a cellar dweller if you will.  when nine people are occupying your house and you're the youngest fighting for space, that's where i ended up for chill time.  it was a finished basement, chairs, couches and with the finest speakers this side of town.  i learned a great deal about music down there, from my brothers mostly - bruce springsteen, tavares, elton john, harold melvin and the blue notes.....upstairs was where i heard my sisters' music - the beatles, diana ross & the supremes...good times.  anyway - i digress) i was runnning to the tv room to catch the latest on these five shows:

The Flintstones   

every morning before going to school there were two shows i needed to watch - this was show #1.  i thought wilma was awesome.  i think her white dress always made think of my mother, who was (is) a nurse, and always wore the traditional white uniform back then.  fred was fun and i just loved and appreciated the friendship they all shared. and i guess i learned a little about rock quarries too.

Gilligan's Island

I believe this was on in the afternoon too, but in the morning (show #2) I only had time for the theme song before rushing off to kindergarten. so, i would stand in front of the tv, impatiently waiting for the commercials to be over so i could sing the theme song.  it was an important ritual for me. then i'd bolt out the door.  in the afternoon i could come back and settle into the actual show...what a hoot.  i could never figure out how they all managed to stay looking so good when there were no stores on the island.  no wonder i like the show LOST

The Brady Bunch

of course -  who wasn't watching this?...but the best part of this show would be two things that every day i could ALWAYS count on happening: 

a.) going into the kitchen for this conversation

 

me : 'what's for dinner?' 

my mother: 'food'  

me: 'okay'

then i'd go settle into the chair back in the tv room. 

b.) in a little while my dad would come through the door from work, walk into the den (served as his office AND our tv room) and he'd lean over and give me a big ol' fat kiss on the cheek.  i loved those two things about the brady bunch hour.  but hey - check out this fashion.

Solid Gold

if you grew up in boston, every saturday night was hot dog and beans night.  burgers too.  my brothers would bring friends home and my mom would feed all of us and the friends too. needless to say the kitchen was CROWDED.  my sister and i would wolf down our dinner and when it turned 7:00pm we would bolt for the den.  solid gold.  we were going to be solid gold dancers one day.  without question.  we enjoyed and we STUDIED the show.  the show worked for everyone - the youngsters were in the den while the adults could enjoy 'grown-up talk' in the kitchen.

Looney Tunes

this could have a gazillion sub-categories to it.  saturday morning cartoons.  weekday afternoons after school.  elmer fudd, bugs bunny, daffy duck, but also tom & jerry, and i loved mighty mouse.

(sidebar: i am smelling this character right now)

lester lightbulb taught me about electricity.  and special to my heart was captain bob - he was a sailor looking artist who had a drawing show and made me fall in love with art every saturday morning, at age eight or so.   

an honorable mention goes to this - loved it! and i often wonder if this one influenced me to become a history major in college?! 

what were you watching when you were 8 years old?