Paper Dolls, Roller Skates & Gum Chains

Did you have paper dolls growing up? We went to my Grandma Rose’s house many Sundays for dinner. When we were there she always gave us pop, Wrigley gum and a new package of paper dolls – like the Betsy McCall paper dolls you see here.

My younger daughter (and older daughter too) made very creative paper dolls when she was younger. She spent hours drawing and designing their clothes, accessories and even jewelry! All of the dolls and clothing were kept in envelopes. These dolls had the ultimate GAP wardrobes. C. whatever happened to your paper dolls and their amazing wardrobes?

Growing up we also made gum chains. I hate to think of the dental bills that were the result of chewing so much Wrigley and Bazooka bubble gum . . .

That makes me remember Chinese jump ropes, metal roller skates with a key I wore around my neck, hula hoops, sidewalk chalk, jacks and hopscotch. What ever happened to Silly Putty? It came in a plastic egg if I remember correctly.

Yes, now I’m ten years old. I think it’s easier for me to remember the ages of nine to ten because those were the years where we were still most authentically our true selves – the last time before adolescence and the culture made us self-conscious, more competitive and aware of comparisons.

Watch the movie August Rush for a sense of searching for and regaining what was lost. But what we seek is not parents we never really knew or reconnecting with our children. What we seek is our true selves.

Today I work to reconnect with my ten year old self. My true and authentic self.

I can hear the clatter of my roller skates as they move over the sidewalk cracks. Skating down my street, my skate key is on a string around my neck, bubble gum in my mouth and the wind blowing in my hair and rushing past my face . . .

May your authentic, ten-year-old self emerge during your day today!

Roxanne

You may also like Tiny Silver Spoons, Doll Houses From My Childhood and My Mother’s Sewing Machine.