A Childhood Beyond the Classics

A birthday party or a trip to the beach?

A camp in the great outdoors?

The best cartoon ever watched?

A pet or an expensive toy?

I have got none of the classic childhood memories.

We are teleporting to the year 2007, somewhere in Africa. Can you see these beautiful houses with huge gardens? All my childhood memories are there. Look at the children outside, aren't they happy?

-But why are they outside? Are they not supposed to be watching some cartoons on TV?

It is obvious there is no TV at home; do not feel sorry for them anywise. They are happy just this way. Look, they are playing the house game. The girl in a big white shirt is me; that shirt belongs to my mother. I am playing the role of the bride. I know my mother will get mad at me when she comes; I should live in the moment anyway. On the other side of the house, children are making something from mud, it is the wedding cake. 

Now, look at those children.

-They are fighting for something that resembles a toy.

Sure, but it is not the same toy we buy from the shops. I made this from some old clothes. Also, look at that other group of little girls making something from the banana tree's pseudostem. I am trying to figure out what it could be. Wait, those are slippers! Don’t you think they could be great designers in the future?

-Doubtlessly! Some of them have already become successful designers in 2021.

I can’t find my little brother, Daniel, where is he? I guess he is playing football with his peers.

-So cliche! Boys have always played football.

Now pay attention to the ball they are playing. It is child-made! They made it themselves by using old newspapers and plastic bags. Is it not a good example of recycling? Also, little girls make smaller balls the same way; they use them for their special games at the playground. Oh, no! My little brother just fell down while trying to shoot the ball; he got a small wound on his knee.

-What are we supposed to do now? I don't remember seeing a hospital around.

If we were in 2021, we would run to the emergency service or even call an ambulance. Nonetheless, you should not worry. The children here have knowledge of every single herb that grows in the bush around. I know the formula that will heal my little brother’s knee. It will clean the wound and make it dry fast. He will be able to play football again by tomorrow. Even so, my parents hope to see me someday as a medical doctor; I hope so too.

-How lovely! It means that you have followed your childhood dreams; you are about to graduate from medical school.

It is around 6PM: Children are going to have dinner. They will go to bed not later than 8PM. What else should children do before they sleep?

-Their parents should read fairy tales for them. These children, I suppose, have got no fairy tale books. I think they are so unlucky.

The very opposite: They are the luckiest children you might have ever met; they can use their fantasy at a young age. They narrate their own stories; they tell each other their very original tales and share the moral lesson at the end.

In the morning, every child wakes up very early. They are all excited to learn new games. Some games they invent on their own, others they learn from their elders. Hold on, today is my birthday! My friends are coming to our house for breakfast. My dad has brought some biscuits and sweets for all the children. The best gift is the one that can be shared with friends. The best side of birthdays is that we are allowed to play the whole day. We are not going to do chores.

The tall girl coming our way is my best friend, Davina. She has some papers in her hands. What are we going to do with the papers, though?

-She also has some pens; is she going to ask us to write something for her?

“I am going to teach you how to make a toy cell phone: we will fold this paper into a smaller rectangular shape. After that, we will draw the phone’s display unit. We will also draw the keyboard with numbers and alphabets. Easy peasy!” Says Davina, as she distributes papers to every child sitting around.

-Children, don't you think this is a wastage of time? We all know that the phones made this way won’t do a thing.

I tell you, it is not. These children might not be aware, but they have found an easy way to learn the alphabet and numbers.

Take a look at the two children over there.

-They seem to be having much fun with their game; what kind of game is that? They just playing with the stones!

They have drawn a small circle between themselves and put some small stones. They randomly spread the stones to different sides of the circle. Watch out for the stone in both girls' hands: they are going to throw it up. They are supposed to take the stone from the circle and catch the stone left in the air before it falls down. The winner is the one who is capable of taking more stones out without letting them fall down. With this game, not only do children have fun but they also improve their attentiveness.

Just a second, I think I sensed some droplets. It is raining!

-Why are the children not going inside?

Surely they will go, but not now. They will go to change their wet clothes when it stops raining. It might seem crazy, but it is not. Bob Marley said it well that some people feel the rain while others just get wet. These children feel the rainfall. Their happiness is that they will not have to go to fetch water for some days. They will be using rainwater. Can you guess what is going to happen tomorrow?

-Simple! All the children will be shivering; they will be having a cold.

Don't worry! These children’s immunity is strong; it cannot be easily affected. Tomorrow, they are likely to wake up even more energetic.

-I have got nothing to add. Can we go back to 2021, please? I have a lot to tell my friends.

We all have those persistent childhood memories. If there was a chance to go back to the past, many of us would like to have a journey back to our childhood. The games we used to play, the happy moments we had together with our friends, and the moral lessons we took from the fairy tales have been guiding us all the way to our adulthood. Today as an adult, I believe that the events from the past have left a trace that is still driving our way to the future.