By Betty Carlisle

Special to The Gazette

“One of the virtues of being very young is that you don’t let the facts get in the way of your imagination.” — Sam Levenson

Whether there’d been 100 candles or 12 on their birthday cakes, those interviewed for the Children of the Decades series that concludes today did not regard the political climate or economic hardships that raged in the world as the central influence of their childhoods.

The historical footprints of war, economic devastation or political scandals that trailed through each generation were kept in the adult realm. Families and neighbors circled their wagons to provide a time of childhood for their children.

“Childhood is that wonderful time of life when all you need to do to lose weight is take a bath” — Richard Zera

Children of the decades were unanimous in their recollections that some of the happiest moments of their childhood were spent playing outdoors. The unstructured playtime in fresh air was enjoyed and recounted with enthusiasm.

With little regard if it was a hand-me-down toy or a state-of-the-art gadget, the majority of adults could describe in detail the playthings of their youth.

People recalled summer as a time to head outdoors in the morning and return only at mealtimes and when the streetlights blinked on.

Winter meant bundling up to play outside and coming indoors to warm up or dry out.

Eating out at restaurants and buying fast food were not common experiences in the lives of those born in most generations. But no matter if the meal was provided by animals butchered from the family’s livestock or from the Golden Arches’ drive-thru, memories of mealtimes shared together were fond memories.

“If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

Each decade’s newly invented technology was viewed with wonder.

Those born in the earlier decades of the 1900s were as equally awed by the crank-up Victrola phonograph and floor model radio as those who viewed black and white television or played with the first Nintendo set.

Interestingly, there was a common opinion that the lives of those born in the most recent generations have been negatively affected by the spread of new technology — a view that was never expressed by those technology savvy children belonging to those supposed “ruined” generations.

“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” — Cesare Pavese

Children born in various decades were nostalgic about the time spent with their family members and neighborhood friends.
Events they celebrated together were the basis of deeply etched memories more than the recall of past possessions. They shared a sense of security based on the knowledge that a community watched out for each other.

I’d like to give a huge, heartfelt thank you to the dozens of representatives from the past 10 decades who’ve dug through photo albums, dusted off favorite toys and delighted us with their treasuries of childhood memories.

Carlisle may be reached at accent@ohio.net.