These Times, They Are A-Changin'

I come from a time where there was Doug, Tiny Toons, and Animaniacs. I remember a time where Steve was our humble host on Blue’s Clues. I remember it blowing my mind when I found out that Arthur was an anteater. I remember waking up and having my mom make me pancakes as I watched all of my childhood cartoons.

I remember blazing summer days where I’d go outside and play down at the creek. I remember having “adventures” like Tommy did in Rugrats. I remember playing with Shad, Maureen, Kristen and Brittany, Shane, Tim, and the rest. I remember playing with Pokémon cards and beating all the boys. I remember Pogs and the battles my sister, my cousin, and I would have. I still have every last one of them that I won.

I remember staying up late watching scary movies with my sister. I remember going to the pool all day, coming home, popping popcorn with lots of salt, and watching Cable Guy while I scraped the butter out of the popcorn bag. I remember that rants that my mom would give me about that, saying that it wasn’t healthy to eat the butter in the bag or to put extra salt in the popcorn or to eat the salt straight from the shaker. I remember eating a lot of things I shouldn’t have, like aphids, powdered sugar cookie dough, and my sister’s chocolate from her advent calendar that my mom would get us every Christmas.

I remember the anticipation for the holidays. I remember finding my Christmas presents every year since I was 4. I remember saving my favorite pair of footy pajamas for Christmas Eve so that I could have a cliché Christmas morning running into the living room full of surprise with little cow pj’s. I remember the Christmas when my sister got Cds and was trying to open them with her teeth. My mom came in and told her that they weren’t chocolate, and I thought that what she said was hilarious.

I remember when I actually liked spending time with my family. Now it seems like I hardly see them at all. I remember the fights me and my sister would get into, but now we’re like best friends. I remember growing up saying I was never going to leave home, but now I can’t wait to go to college…away. I remember being a happy child, so now I’m wondering what happened.