This week's prompt ----- Childhood Games
One - Come Sail Away
One of the most interesting games that I remember playing as a child involved pretending that the whole world was flooding and my bed was a raft. Of course a raft needs provisions, so I would pile all of my toys and stuffed animals on the bed so that they would survive the flood. Not some of my toys - ALL of my toys - because no one gets left behind! It seems like it took a few minutes to get everyone aboard (time was of the essence, naturally) but it took for-ev-ver to get them safely stowed away after the danger had passed. I'm happy to report that no toys or stuffed animals perished as the result of the flooding.
Two - Family
My VBF recently reminded me that my mom used to make up scavenger hunts with clues that lead us from place to place throughout the house. I seem to remember that the broom closet was a popular clue location. Both of my parents always seemed willing to judge our diving contests as they sat poolside; however, as I've gotten a little older and been involved in raising kids myself, I suspect that some of the scores may have been given on dives that had not been closely scrutinized. I know that some of the dives that got a 5.4 were more like 5.9s - my feet were together the whole time and there was hardly a splash! Even my grandparents were pretty good sports about paying their $.10 or $.25 to enter our "haunted room." I'm sure that my sister's eerie "woooooooooooooo"s and me grabbing their ankles from under the bed was not the most terrifying experience, but they always played along.
Three - Grade School Gym Class
Looking back, I was pretty lucky to be able to attend my grade school. Our town boasted of about 800 people back in the day and throughout my grade school career it seemed like everyone discussed when (not if) we would consolidate with a bigger school nearby. The classes were small - 7 people in my 8th grade class - so two classes would usually be combined for P.E. We played volleyball, basketball, kickball, basically all of the gym-class staples. My favorite activities were scooter tag and badminton. In fact, my VBF and I made it to the finals of the badminton tournament my 8th grade year. I know what you're thinking, and I'll have you know that not only were there were more than two teams in the tournament but we also beat some more athletic teams to get into the finals. Sadly, we lost to Scott and Russell. They gloated.
Four - Saturday Night Volleyball
Almost every Saturday night a group of teenagers and adults, including my parents, got together at the grade school gymnasium to play volleyball. I know that we usually left to go up to the gym near the end of Hee-Haw (and after The Muppet Show), so I"m guessing it was around 7:00 p.m. or so. As the "big people" played volleyball, we roamed the gymnasium and school grounds looking for ways to entertain ourselves. It was a very good night if the gym teacher forgot to lock the ball cabinet on Friday or if one of the locker rooms was open, but we didn't require such luxuries for a good time. If the weather was nice we could go out into the school yard where there were slides, merry-go-rounds, monkey bars, swings and parallel bars; if foul, we could play on the stage or read *ahem* add to *ahem* the graffiti under the scorers' table. Some nights stand out more than others, like the night that my VBF broke Jenni's arm "launching" her into the air with her feet and the night that I broke one of the school windows with a rock because I was trying to hit the school bell. Now that I think of it, I think that Jenni is the one that told on me for that little fiasco. Thanks, VBF, for having my back and showing her what happens to snitches! :)
You can play, too, if you want to. Check out Leigh Ann's blog and pick one of the 4 Stories prompts to get started!
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