The Generation I Grew Up In
I've been wondering, 20 years down the road, what would children growing up today think about their childhood. The memories that comes with it albeit the high-tech environment we live in today. I've seen school children as young as 7 or 8 holding on to mobile phones and listening to mp3s on their way to school. And of course the ever familiar sight of maids carrying school bags as heavy as those field packs we carry in the army. Whats wrong with kids nowadays?I grew up in the 90s and in my opinion, technology and social life was well balanced then. We had payphones almost at every void deck of a typical HDB block, and although you had to remember phone numbers, but you had the convenience of calling someone if need be as payphones were everywhere. Ask an average Joe now, and he'll probably show you a SIM card full of contacts but probably remember only his house number. I admit I'm probably one of those now.
I had memories of me and my sister stealing guavas and jack fruits from government planted trees around my estate. In the mid 90s the government got tired of fruits disappearing from their trees and axed most of it. Well, at least I had my fair share of fun.
I remember when I was in kindergarten, I followed my auntie around the neighbourhood market picking cardboard boxes, not because we were poor but because my auntie, a housewife was bored being at home. Our part timing brought us a little extra income in which we split 70-30, most of which I spent on sweets. Parents nowadays would be horrified to see their precious 4 year old kid running around the market dragging cardboard boxes and cutting them up with a pen knife.
Though it might sound like manual and dirty work, I really enjoyed running around the market area asking stall holders for unwanted cardboard. Within a few months most friendly uncles and aunties would recognised me as "ah boy" and would sometimes buy sweets and candies for me. Come to think of it, I wonder where all my toothaches originated from!
Those were my kiddy days, and I wouldn't trade them away for anything!
posted by Don @ 1:31 PM
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