Redartz: Good day, everyone. Most of us who share a presence (whether actively participating or following along) here have numerous things in common. One factor which we probably all are experiencing is a transition from 'middle age' to...well.....let's just say 'veteran' status. If we're not undergoing it now, we will be before too many years pass. I certainly am, breaking the '60' barrier this year. It got me thinking about other transitions we make in our lives, particularly from childhood to adolescence. For instance, can you recall when you were little, and your parents made the choices about what movies you saw, or what tv shows the family viewed each night? When I was a kid, that was just 'the way it was'. It never really occurred to me to think otherwise, until I got a bit older. It was about the age of 8 when the first crack appeared in my parental wall: my folks allowed me to pick out my own comics (superhero books, that is; they had no problem with me reading Casper).
But it was a couple more years before my siblings and I were able to assert any decision-making about the tv. By the time I was 10 we could, at least, take over the set for Friday night ( Brady Bunch, Partridge Family and the ABC lineup). At this point I was becoming aware that my entertainment choices weren't always matching up with everyone elses'.
The final brick in the wall broke away when I was 15; the first time I was allowed to pick a movie to watch without supervision. We were at a motel on vacation, and we had two rooms. My folks gave the ok, and I watched my first 'R' film (actually, practically the first movie I'd seen that wasn't a Disney film): "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". Boy, that was a departure from "The Apple Dumpling Gang"!
So that made my departure from childhood complete. I never really recognized the transition, but was aware of a changing of interests (including an increasing attraction to the girls around school; as of 7th. grade). Therefore my personal 'transition' probably ran from age ten to twelve. Guess I was pretty much on schedule.
How about you? Were you conscious of a shift away from your childhood pursuits? Do you recall when you were allowed the occasional entertainment choice? And was I the only one still watching Disney flicks at 14? Go ahead and 'chew the fat'...
