When I Was A Boy

When I was a boy, is the way dad opened his stories. So, it is my turn. When I was a boy:

1. I grew up in a small town and the country in  West Virginia and a big city (Columbus, Ohio).
2. I called adults sir or ma’am.
3. We ate supper together.
4. We had three channels on one black and white tv with rabbit ears.
5. I had a younger sister, and we played together.  I was the older brother because she was younger.  😊
6. We went swimming a lot together. I remember in the country playing with dump trucks and dolls. I have lots of good memories.
7. Dad did not have to ask me twice, most times. 🙂
8. We heard no cussing in the home unless a dropped dish or a finger was smashed and then maybe one barnyard word or two.
9. The F word was not tolerated.  The F word in our home was the slang for flatulence.
10. My friends in the city were first-generation Chinese, Cuban, and generational Caucasians.  As kids, we never even thought anything about it; we were diverse and didn’t know it.
11. Whatever team I was rooting for, dad would say:  that “other” team is my favorite team.  He did this until his death.  My son and I now say it and laugh.
12. When I lived in the small town and city, we stayed out until the streetlights came on.  We had lunch at the house of whichever mom fixed it first, and she would call the other moms.
13. We could get yelled at by any mom in the neighborhood.  They had a network, and we knew they communicated.
14. We saw our grandparents often.
15. One of my biggest errors as a young boy, about 10, was when my mom said: “go to your room, and I am coming to spank you.” I found an old license plate and molded it around my bottom.  It was my first understanding of armor.  Mom spanked me once on the bottom, but she hurt, not me.  I laughed.  She did not . . . . . .She does now.
16. We had bb guns in the country, and I had my first shotgun at 12.  It was only used with dad or under his supervision.  It was not strange; it was normal.
17. We rode our bikes all over the small town.
18. The theatre had two movies and a cartoon for 20 cents.  Popcorn, candy bar, and pop were 25 cents.  Mom gave me 50 cents to go to the movies, so I had a candy bar to go. We walked to the theatre and home.   
19. When I was a boy, I had no real comprehension of how much my parents and grandparents loved me.
20. Now that I am much older as a parent and grandparent, I do understand.
21. What do I want my son, my grandsons, and granddaughters to write when they make a list in the future, and they write: when I was a boy/girl.  I pray they can look back with the same warm feeling that embraces me as I remember When I Was A Boy.

jda/2021

Dr. James D Allen

Dr. Allen served as a seminary VP, pastor, and as a trustee on a Christian mental health Board. He has earned a BA, MA, MA Biblical Counseling, Doctor of Ministry. Dr Allen has also preached on 5 continents, lived in 3 nations, and so has a diverse Christian experience. He has a distinguished career of being a pastor, consultant, author, and educator. MY FIRST LOVE--Being a Pastor and encouraging others!