Okay, I know I am somewhat pathetic, growing up in a small apartment in New York City, I was like that the young Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street, always wishing Santa would bring me a house with a backyard and maybe even a swing.
My actual childhood play space consisted of the traffic lights we could use to hang upside down and the concrete walls we could climb. This was before anyone thought to provide parks with actual playground equipment in my neck of the woods, uh urban landscape.
To this day, my knees are worn out from the jarring jumping off of first story windowsills on to the sidewalk below, and I’m still wondering how much asphalt dust I inhaled when the neighborhood kids and I discovered the “black sand” that was dumped in the parking lot adjacent to our apartment building.
So, it probably isn’t surprising that my own kids live in a house, with a backyard that has a swing, or more exactly, a “play system,” complete with swings, slide and clubhouse. I fulfilled a childhood dream of what I wanted in a home, at least for my own children.
I have a friend whose husband always dreamed of having a pinball machine when he was a child. Today, he does in fact own a pinball machine that sits in his basement, ready to be played any time he likes.
Some childhood dreams of home may be a little too extreme to carry out as an adult. Having a room full of ice cream or a robot who does your homework for you might not be on your priority list today (both seem possible if you want to spend the money), but have you consciously or unconsciously fulfilled any childhood dreams of home? Let me know in the comments.