As a kid I used to love the school holidays, they were the times when I spent most of a day in the woods (which I’ve written about before). There was always something to do. We didn’t have much TV and the internet was a thing of the future. There were games consoles but it wasn’t really until the Sinclair ZX81 and then Spectrum became commonly available that computers and games were really a thing.
So what did we do with all of that time? Well I compiled a little list:
Kite flying
Tadpole hunting (seasonal)
Playing - Soldiers / Cowboys / Detectives (depending what we’d seen recently on tv)
Riding our bikes for miles
Building model kits
Reading
Playing music
Playing boardgames (endless hours of monopoly weren’t uncommon)
Building elaborate camps in the woods
I guess I could go on, but there really never was a shortage of things to do. I don’t think our parents ever felt that we were under their feet, although there were times when we would beg for a lift somewhere - the boating lake or cinema - but those both cost real money to do, so were more treats than time spent amusing ourselves.
I used to envy some of my friends as they had (mostly older) brothers and sisters, and at the same time they use to envy me because I didn’t, clearly with siblings there is no happy medium.
My impression is that today is quite a bit different, although I could be wrong. Obviously technology plays a bigger part than it did when I was a kid, but also the perception of safety is a big concern for many parents today. I don’t think we were ever really in much danger that wasn’t of our own making, but I’m not sure whether that is still the case today.
I think it’s also played an important part of how I perceive my “freetime” 50 years on. I don’t think I ever have nothing to do. There are lists both physical and mental of all the jobs that need doing around the house or chores and errands that need to be attended to. Doing nothing these days is a conscious choice and without it, I doubt that I would ever sit still. That conscious choice also comes with a pretty big mental stick which at times I know I can beat myself with for not doing “enough”. When I recently had Covid, forcing myself to slow down and recover properly wasn’t easy. It felt at times like I was being lazy, even though I would say in hindsight taking that time was most definitely the right thing to do.
So I suppose having said that I’d better stop writing this and go an do something that would be considered productive. The lawn needs cutting and there are still all sorts of boxes that we haven’t yet unpacked after our move. So what am I waiting for?
Thanks for reading.