It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. There was a time when we looked at people at the advanced ages of 4 and 5 and saw them as having considerable life experience and being full of worldly wisdom. The had so many advantages: they could see over the counter at the store; they had sufficient strength to open the door; they were allowed to carry their own penny; they could tie their own laces; and they weren’t required to go to bed early.
Our money trees didn’t bear a large crop, but we had sufficient for our needs. We were surrounded by families in similar circumstances and assumed that the whole world lived this way. Every family had a garden. Few had a car and none had two. As well, every house had children and pets. Some even had babies, or even better, puppies!
Fathers were handy with tools. Like you, I had my hold things steady duties. I learned to control my giggling when mistakes were made and tempers lost. For me, it sometimes meant another trip to the lumberyard, where a Coca-Cola dispenser was placed prominently near the door. I’d point toward it and whisper a prayer. Sometimes it would be answered.
I think many people our age can remember our home as our entire neighbourhood and not just the house where we lived. And our neighbours as surrogate parents, watching, caring, and protecting. The SI post I get PM’d about most frequently dealt with this a bit. It's the second of a two post story #reply-15564412 (Following an earlier #reply-15558213 about a neighbourhood boy.)