⏳ #TBT Growing Up in Philly

I was born in the fall of 1958 in North Philly where they cleaned the house, scrubbed the steps, and swept the block on Saturday morning. I grew up in Southwest Philly where we watched Soul Train after our chores were done and listened to the latest music on WDAS-FM. On Sunday, we went to church, enjoyed Roller Derby, and skated at Chez Vouz or Elmwood. Monday through Friday, we walked back and forth to the closest public school. Car pooling was rare and if we came home for lunch, we walked back and forth twice a day.

We went outside to play, we got dirty, and didn't go home until it was dinner time. We ate whatever our parents cooked and put on the table... there were no custom orders, questions, or negotiations. We looked forward to neighborhood barbecues, block parties, and trucks coming down the street with Mr. Softee ice cream, mini carnival rides, snow cones, soft pretzels, and water ice. We had to share with our siblings and we learned how to do the same with our friends.

We played Board Games, Can Ball, Catch, Dead Block, Door Bell Dixie, Dodge Ball, Double Dutch, Freeze Tag, Half Ball, Hand-Clap Games, Hide & Seek, Hopscotch, Hot & Cold, Jacks, Keep-Away, Kick Ball, Kick The Can, King Ball, Post Office, Red Light-Green Light, Simon Says, Step School, Tag-You're It, Truth or Dare, and Wall Ball. We also played Basketball on the telephone pole with a crate (or anything else we could find), Softball, and Touch Football.

We got our feet wet when the water trucks cleaned the street, played in the fire hydrant (water plug), and went to the nearby public pool every summer. There was no bottled water. We drank from the faucet (spigot) or garden (water) hose. We made go carts and scooters out of 2x4s, crates, nails, rope, and the wheels from skates or shopping carts. "Play Dates" didn't exist. If we wanted to get a hold of our friends, we called them from a landline or went to their house and knocked on the door.

We weren't afraid of anything. If we fell down, we had to suck it up because we couldn't run in and out of the house for a scratch or we had to stay in the rest of the day. We played, skated, and popped wheelies in the street without a helmet while riding our banana-seat bikes with the long handlebars. Sometimes, one of our younger siblings or a friend was riding on those handlebars too. If someone had a fight, that's what it was... a fight that started and ended right there. The next day it was over.

We had no cable service or smart TVs. We watched regular TV with an antenna and only a few channels, but those old shows and movies were good. There was no remote and we walked to the TV to change the channel. At dusk, we caught lightning bugs and when the street lights came on, we were reminded it was time to go home. We watched our mouths around adults because we knew if we were disrespectful to any grown-up, it would "get back" to our parents and we were gonna "get it" when we got home.

We never thought about being poor back then because our family and friends made us feel like we were cared for, loved, and rich in ways that had nothing to do with money. I'm glad that I lived in a close-knit community where everyone treated each other like family and wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I know it was a long time ago, people have changed, and times have changed. But, no matter how much the world continues to change, I will always remember when and where I came from!