If anyone were to ask my mother what type of child I was growing up, she would enlighten them on how curious I was. I asked questions about any and everything going on around me. I had to know how things worked, why things were, and I wouldn't accept just any old answer. I'd need an explanation, some substantial evidence, and if possible, another party present that could co-sign the information given. Just kidding! But it's not that much of a stretch.
Twenty years have since passed from those days and the tables have turned. I have a curious daughter of my own that has no qualms about asking me questions about EVERYTHING under the sun. So when she says she has questions for me, I take a brief pause to "breathe slowly" before she proceeds to ask them. The other day, though, she simply asked me what I was like at her age. She sat across from me at the dining room table with her frilly pink notebook and matching pen as if she were preparing for an interview. When I agreed to answer her questions, she asked me things like my favorite foods, tv shows, friends, and places to go back during that pivotal time in the 90's. Answering all of her questions sent me on a trip down memory lane and prompted me to pen this list for myself. I wanted to always remember these things, in case one day I could no longer do so.
When I Was Gab's Age...
-I was begging for Right On! magazines in the grocery store each month.
-I was in love with Sister, Sister. I even received an autographed Tia and Tamera photo in the mail as a fan club member.
-I was also obsessed with singer Brandy. "I Wanna Be Down" was my favorite song at the time.
-I was rocking LA Gears with the light up shox in the back.
-I was in Mrs. Hunter's class. This was the beginning of my obsession with grammatical correctness. She marked off for every single error on my homework.
-My favorite lunches at school consisted of personal deep dish pizza in a plastic bag. My favorite breakfast was the Super Donut.
-My brother and I got off the bus after school at Grandma's house. We watched Darkwing Duck, Duck Tales and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers together. If we stayed late enough to have dinner with grandma and granddaddy, we watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy afterwards. Granddaddy always said I was smart enough to go on Jeopardy, too :)
-I got a Sega Genesis from my dad for Christmas. I was hooked on Sonic the Hedgehog for years.
-I saw Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas for the first time. I was intrigued by the animation, and the film became one of my favorites.
-Family Matters, Boy Meets World, Fresh Prince, Thea, and Hanging With Mr. Cooper were among my favorite TV shows. Judy went upstairs on Family Matters and never came back down.
-I had a crush on one of the "new" boys down the street. I would soon learn he had a crush on me too.
-I collected beanie babies and forgot all about my troll dolls.
-Clinton was president.
-Doug Funny, Patty Mayonnaise and Apple Jacks made my Saturday mornings.
-People called me Patty Mayonnaise. This would continue on into high school.
-Doug E. Doug had a tv show on ABC network's TGIF lineup called Where I Live. I remember him sitting on that stoop and his father always getting on him about something. And Flex was his best friend.
-When Mighty Morphin Power Rangers came on, my brother and I pretended to be Aisha and Zack. I can still remember him yelling "MASTODON!"
-Bill Nye the Science Guy and Beakman's World taught me everything I needed to know about Science.
-I shared rooms with my little sister. We had the cutest red bunk beds. That is, until my older brother came to visit and we broke the ladder. Scared that we would get in trouble, we blamed that incident on my cousin Easha.
-I listened to Salt 'n Pepa on Easha's walkman whenever she came to visit and decided that I was going to be a rapper just like her.
-I went to church in what I now believe to be the cutest of ruffled and laced dresses in hues of green, mint, chartreuse, lilac, pink, and yellow. Back then I hated them and would find creative ways to get them dirty (ie, splattering nail polish on them). My sister had matching ones, too. I didn't learn the value of those beautiful dresses until one day after church, I decided I would go playing in the woods with my cousins while still wearing one. You all can imagine how that story ends :)
WHAT ARE YOUR FONDEST CHILDHOOD MEMORIES?
ARE YOU WRITING THEM DOWN?
