We all scream for ice cream. Or, we don't, at least not anymore.
Before moving to this sleepy suburb as kids, we lived in the city. We'd walk to the corner store for an italian ice. I barely kindergarten age when we moved south of Boston, but I remember the cool lemony goodness on a wooden stick like it was yesterday.
When we moved to the 'burbs, we didn't have to go to the store anymore for a treat. The ice-cream truck would come to us, (though I seem to remember calling it the slush truck?) Of course, looking back, I see that an ice cream truck was just one more hurdle in my weight gain problems, but this is a happy memory, damnit.
During the summer months, you'd hear the distinct sound of bells, calling to us kids like the Pied Piper of frozen confections. We'd haul up the driveway, down the street, out of the woods, with quarters, dimes and nickels, to buy a "graveyard" slush. Does anybody remember this- getting all those syrupy sweet flavors mixed together to make a greyish-blackish mud of a slush? Maybe it was just my brother who ordered it like that? I used to love watermelon, cotton candy, anything pink.
Now, I'm the mom, living in the same town. We don't have an ice-cream man anymore. Occasionally one comes by, but he's here after bedtime, thanks Mister for getting the kids riled up after 8pm with the thought of drippy Spiderman sherbet on a stick with gumball eyes! (He needs to alter his route and get here earlier to make the big bucks from my three treat-loving kids.)
It's different now, though. We're more conscious of food choices, and running to get an ice cream cannot be a daily habit.
Not only that, parents these days are insanely aware of anyone who drives slowly through a residential neighborhood who doesn't belong. Welcome to the age of Amber Alerts, Attempted Child Abductions, Missing & Exploited Children, & Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board.
Children don't run to ice cream trucks alone anymore. Children don't walk to the store to get a treat anymore. When we were kids, we didn't think much of walking up to the center of town to get something. I'll have to ask my mother, but I don't remember how old I was when she finally let me go with a friend to the store, but I know it was a lot younger than I'll consider letting my kids go to the same place.
It's not that it's any different here, it really isn't, but the years that have passed have changed things and changed people.
The years have taken the ice cream man.
Beth
Read about me here...
http://meltingmama.blogspot.com/
'And all because of a damned cat! It's only a... Read More
Bath time can be fun or it can be a... Read More
Sitterphobe "I never have a second to myself," this mother... Read More
Did you know there's a game children and parents play... Read More
Rule #1 Make Every Bite Count!Everything your child eats should... Read More
Many parents struggle with solutions to put their child on... Read More
Let's face it.The job market is getting tougher every day.Computerization... Read More
I have always been aware of my number one weakness:... Read More
It's a familiar scene: Kids screaming at each other, complaining... Read More
Once, as a Learning Support Teacher, I made my way... Read More
It may seem obvious to many people why literacy is... Read More
Our back-to-school buying habits do not help kids succeed in... Read More
As Mother's Day approaches I would like to give a... Read More
There isn't a school day that goes by that I... Read More
If you ever walk through an orphanage, it will be... Read More
Dining in a restaurant with kids can be very enervating... Read More
As a parent is seems that the majority of your... Read More
As the kids go back to school, you can go... Read More
Are your children truthful, kind, and helpful? If so, read... Read More
Parents, do you have children who do poorly in school,... Read More
Q. What's the right age to start giving a Bible... Read More
I am crying tears of joy mixed with great sadness... Read More
Having been a parent educator and a PBS consultant for... Read More
While on a recent trip to the grocery store, I... Read More
In the beginning, having children was just a byproduct of... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..Recently, our family had the opportunity to care for sisters'... Read More
You send your child to school and the teachers teach... Read More
When is a person brilliant? When does a person show... Read More
Having a baby is one of the most exciting times... Read More
Recess has begun disappearing in states all around the country.... Read More
Q. We recently caught our son smoking pot, and we... Read More
The biggest trick some child predators' are using these days... Read More
Have you heard the song; "I Hope You Dance"? It... Read More
Memorabilia ? Children can create enough artwork for an entire... Read More
The citizens of the early Roman Republic enjoyed an education... Read More
My daughters and I went to the beach several weeks... Read More
Summer Survival The... Read More
For the first year or two of life outside the... Read More
Moms, did you ever question your value as a role... Read More
All too often, children with learning disabilities are seen through... Read More
Fizzy sherbet in a paper bag with a strawberry lollipop... Read More
The least flexible character in all of the stories of... Read More
Children bombard parents with many challenging behaviours. We are delighted... Read More
No matter how old your children are, you have an... Read More
As a mom of 4 who's youngest child is about... Read More
Did you know that the number of twin births have... Read More
Loving your step-child can be both simple and hard. It... Read More
For first time parents choosing a swing set or outdoor... Read More
ADHD comes in differenty forms, or types. What... Read More
The small, lilac colored hexagonal box, with Winnie the Pooh... Read More
Parenting |