When Children were Children
Monopoly would last for days
By Sharon Hopper 

I was just thinking today about the things we did in the winter to entertain ourselves because of the long dark evenings. Today every child seems intent on video games, texting, and playing with apps whatever they are, or reading a book on a device. 

I started to remember what took up the time. And ironically I was surprised at the intricate, mind work, and co-ordination that was involved in our pastimes. We were personally interactive. Not with a device but with real people. Let me just name a few and see if you remember the following ways to spend an evening with a friend or actually with a family member. 

Chinese Checkers------played with marbles and 2 or 4 players. My great grandmother was in a wheelchair, and always had her board and marbles ready to go. How about real Checkers played on a checkerboard. My grandpa was an ace at this game and even when I won I was not sure he did not dump the game so I would keep trying. That game did make one think. And there were cards. Everything from “Slap Jack” to “Rummy” A real game of skill was called Pic Up Sticks. Remember the black stick was to assist one in removing the other sticks without movement of another. Everyone had their nose on the table to make sure that the wrong stick did not move. And a very old form of Yatsee came into being when I was a young person and that was fun because everyone in the family could play. Young and old. We used to get a game of Monopoly going and it would last for days. 

At any rate it seemed that we were far more active than the children of today. And I really do not remember being bored. I always had something to do. In contradiction to my grandchildren’s thinking I did not grow up in the dark age. --- We actually had electricity. No Television, but electric light and the radio. I wonder what the children of today would think of a Christmas with every gift costing under 15.00? Gifts like a Jack in the Box, a Puzzle, Cards, Pic Up Sticks, Checkers, Paper Dolls, Games, and the like. Nothing electronic. What if they had to turn off the cell phones, television, computer, or I Pad.? Well folks, I personally think they would learn that people matter. Our kind of activity promoted the ability to disagree or put another down, but it also promoted apology, and forgiveness or you were a very lonely child. Actually I think kindness, fair play, and the ability of face to face communication was the real advantage to my type of childhood over today. I loved being a kid, probably because I was a real kid. Our children today are being robbed of childhood. I would not trade places for anything. 

I was born in a time When Children were Children.