My paper route......

My daughter was doing a project at school this week that had her asking me all sorts of questions from the past.....and one of them she asked was about was what it was like to be a kid when I was one:) And well.....I told her it was amazing.....that we played outside endlessly, rode bikes for hours.....climbed, played, explored.....gone for hours under our own rule....and we were given the opportunity to be independent until we stopped by somebody's house for a bologna sandwich and an ice pop lol:) And it was magnificent.....truly....and in my opinion it is one of the things missing for kids these days....the ability to make their own decisions, and the space to be able to do that.....so in that spirit, my paper route came up.....something I haven't thought of in a long time.....a fixture and key part of my childhood.......my parents encouraged me to get a paper route as soon as I was able.....and I liked it.....mostly.....;)....I would come home from school, and have to get my papers ready.....rolling them up, and putting them in my canvas bag, that was covered in newsprint and smelled like newspapers, they came in a bundle on our porch.....and sometimes I rode my bike, and sometimes I walked......and if I got distracted and had a rogue paper in my bag at the end of it, forgetting who I had missed, I worked to retrace my steps, it was inevitable that that customer had called my house asking where I was, and where their newspaper was, important stuff then;-)....and it was an easy fix:) I tried hard to not have that happen too often......My parents let me keep half the money I made, and I had to save the other half......and I bought a Nintendo with that money.....a scooter....a new gray and pink ten speed.....and so much more.....at Christmas time it was amazing.....getting extra tips for my year of work from my customers, they were lovely, most of them lol.....and I suppose the winter was hard to do it in, but the funny thing is, as I type this I don't remember doing it then.....my memories of it are mostly on warm days on my bike....and I do remember being driven to do it when the weather was terrible.....heavy rain or such.....and sometimes my friends would come too, and keep me company so we could do it faster, and be done to play! They also covered me if we had a place to go, and was going to be away.....but I was maybe 10 when I started.....and I did it for a couple of years, and then got a job at DQ as soon as I could get working papers, and did that through college....so as I talked to my daughter about it, the lessons of the paper route came forward.....it taught me responsibility for sure......it gave me independence....financially and otherwise.....I ended up buying my first car with some of that saved money......and sometimes it taught me that we have to do stuff we don't want to because we made a commitment....it helped me meet lovely folks....many of my paper people meeting me at the door having a little chat.....it gave me great exercise....wow when I think of that now, and how sedentary kids are, and I was rocking a paper route every day lol:) Helped to balance all the bologna I ate lol:) I also went up Heater's Hill some, so it wasn't an easy route......and I am glad my parents encouraged that opportunity, and held me to it, even though I do remember days I wished I didn't have that responsibility......I feel like growing up during that time spoke to all the sensibilities of children.....and we are missing that now......kids don't have enough opportunities to BE kids....they were not meant to sit in dark places on devices.....they were meant to play and roam free......and somehow we need to find our way back there......it is what keeps me motivated to keep my kids in the woods and outside to play! I am lucky they both love it.....and today we plan on finding some woods to breathe fresh air in:) So my daughter got to hear some about my life at nearly her age, and she loved listening....and it was fun to share:) Thank you paper route indeed! Happy Saturday! Enjoy the day:)