Thursday, March 26, 2009

Life as a 6 year old Coco.





What was life like when I was 6 years old?


Waking up early (I've always been an early riser) wearing my favorite baby doll pajama's, I would go outside (still in my pj's) and sit under my best friends bedroom window until she would wake up (she was a late sleeper) or until my mom called me for breakfast. Amazing how trusting parents were back then? A six year old would probably not be allowed to roam their neighborhoods a) in their pj's, b) by themselves.


My best friend and I would play with barbies for hours. Making up their little barbie lives as we went, we even sometimes would discuss a plot ahead of time and make-believe our way to the intended outcome. Such wonderful imaginations!



I remember loving dance class. I can still remember the steps for the final recital; polka-step, polka-step, step..toe, step..toe....so funny! I also remember screaming my head off come recital night because they wanted to draw freckles on my face, I felt I had enough already. So I was the only one without the "painted" on kind for the dance.


I remember sitting on my Great-Grandfather's lap (I lovingly called him Bumpa...even when I was 16) and we would read together for hours. He would test my spelling. He thought I was the smartest little girl in the whole world. And I was, because Bumpa said so..."for the love of Pete", one of his famous sayings. If I was so smart, I would have figured out by now who "Pete" was.


I loved exploring my Bumpa's house. Old pictures, boxes of dusty old fashioned clothes, making house in the big, under-the-stairs closet, swinging on the wood swing tied to the enormous Crab Apple tree in the back yard.


I was always a performer. Singing; always with a make shift microphone, and usually a blanket on my head? I think Cher was pretty popular, perhaps I wanted that hair? I also would make-up elaborate plays, that I would teach my cousins for hours and then put on the show for the family after dinner. I remember being too excited to eat, then usually mad, because my cousins and brother didn't do the play right!


The picture above, shows the general idea of my favorite outfit when I was 6. It was a green Winnie the Pooh, jumper dress. It had big pockets and I would have worn it everyday if my mom had allowed it. My best friend had the EXACT same one...in red. Oh, how I loved that dress! Then tragedy came. My mom washed it and discovered she could not get out a mystery sticky substance that had welded the polyester pocket shut and stained the front of the dress. I had put my half chewed gum in my pocket to be enjoyed at a later time and I guess I forgot about it. I was devastated. My mom was furious.


My mother will tell you I was always "slobby". The toes on my shoes were always scuffed. I always was half tucked in and wrinkled (this seems like a wee fib considering the popularity of polyester back then) dirt on some part of me and she claims that no matter how tight she tied my pig tails, they would be lopsided and messy by the time I got home from anywhere. Truthfully, I think this is still true today. I have never been one of those polished, put together women. I think that is what makes me...ME. Not sure it's the exact legacy I would like to have, but it is what it is!


I need to tap more into that 6 year old child. She was so self confident, a little bossy, just so sure of herself. I am none of those things now. Interesting.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Coco, Good stuff. I ALSO loved to write elaborate plays and teach them to anyone I could get my hands on and then get mad when they messed up! I am giggling as I write this!

I think it's so interesting to think about how we were then and then look at ourselves now. I think it's really important to claim some (if not all) of that bossy self-confidence back!

Kelley said...

great post hmmm now I find myself remembering my childhood. I was more of a tomboy then, building forts, digging in the dirt, riding my big wheel everywhere. The world seemed such a safe place then. And I too was a little performer always singing que sara sara or raindrops keep falling on my head songs..haha thanks for making me remember!! I will ponder more today on these long ago memories..

Emma said...

Oh, thanks for sharing all this! I am 'messy,' too and I don't worry about it! :) That's just the way we are!

Too bad about that dress, though...

Anonymous said...

What beautiful memories. I kept my bossy girl around for many years...she was seasoned. I was happy to have gotten rid of her!

Grace said...

"I have never been one of those polished, put together women."

Me either! But I think, looking around (altough this may depend on where you live), there aren't many polished, put together women in this world; most of us are way too busy living our lives. The polished, put together woman is a myth in mind. Then again, I just finished reading, "Kissing the Hag".