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Bloganuary #4 -Favorite Toy

Today’s topic on #Bloganuary is:
“What was your favorite toy as a child?”

Mother-Daughter

Here I am as a young mom with my daughter, DeAna.
I don’t have available with me here on vacation
Any photos of myself as a child at her age.
I’m think my toys were part of my education.

DeDe was born during Barbie era.
She had boyfriend Ken and their playhouse.
She could play for hours with them
And be as quiet as a mouse.

Here is our son, Ty, as a child.
I know what he liked most at a young age:
“BamBam” – his bouncing horsey!
Quiet wasn’t a word on any Tyroneee page!

I didn’t have those kinds of toys!
It was World War Two and we were poor.
We tore our napkins in half to save paper.
We knew the soldiers needed it more!

I was content to play outside.
Rocks and dogs and imagination
Kept me entertained for hours.
No need for a Play Station!

I didn’t know at that time
That we weren’t rich as can be!
I had all the love in the world –
And that was enough “play” for me.

My parents never failed to provide
For all of the things we needed.
If a parent’s goal is to raise happy kids,
Mom and Dad certainly succeeded!

I may have had a doll or two –
I really don’t remember.
What I envision when I think of play
Is our “wedding” in September.

My friend, Frankie, and brother, Aldo,
Lived on our same property.
We dressed up in some cloth we found.
He wrapped it all around us three.

Cousin Bobby was a little younger.
We convinced him to be preacher.
He walked ahead of us down the “aisle”.
My dog, Jumbo, was best man. What a creature!

Our pretend house was a large hole
We dug in the old cow field.
We fixed it up with pretend furniture,
And covered the entrance – truly concealed.

We often climbed down to that “house”.
It worked just fine as a place to play….
Until a cow fell in and broke its leg.
I remember the lickin’ I got that day!

So, what was my favorite toy?
It was probably the neighbor boy!
Eventually we both got accordions –
Music was the “toy” that brought us joy!!

The accordion still is one of my favorite toys!
What’s your favorite childhood toy??
Thank you, Mom, for helping me
know that imagination and creativity
are the best “toys” ever!

Thanks for visiting JanBeek.
See ya tomorrow (God willing).
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Comments on: "Bloganuary #4 -Favorite Toy" (14)

  1. Dana Pulliam said:

    Imagination and creativity are absolutely the best toys! I played with them a lot as a child, and I still play with them as an adult!

  2. beautiful poem!
    yes! Imagination and creativity are so vital to develop as kids and they are the perfect toys!

  3. I’m VERY glad I grew up using my imagination. My Barbie and Ken lived rich lives 😄 YOU told me that the word bored wasn’t in our vocabulary! I loved reading about your childhood. Too cute! Except for the poor cow! 😆

  4. Elaina Colby said:

    I loved your poem and glimpses of memory lane. I definitely played outside as much as I could. I played any game or sport. I climbed trees. I swam. I sang and whistled all of time. I had a favorite dolly (still have her) and also a favorite stuffed bear (still have him!) What a wonderful childhood I had without electronics and phone screens. 🥰

    • Yes, it was a great time to grow up, wasn’t it? So glad you had all those experiences. They served you well. 😍 Thank you for your lovely comment, Laina. I love ❤️ you!

  5. I was blessed with a home filled with playmates. Three brothers making up a quartet of sons, all born between 1956 and 1960. Of course, there were two additional siblings born in 1966 and 1967 . . . sister and brother.

  6. I love the last picture, of your and your mom! Beautiful!!

  7. Pam Wiggins said:

    I remember your accordion at school assemblies! What amazing memories!

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