I started school in Seattle, but my memories of that year and a half are very faint. I remember walking to school to a whole gang of kids from our neighborhood and then walking home after half day kindergarten with my best friend Leslie. (Looking back, it seems unreal that two five-year-olds would walk home by themselves and no one thought anything of it. Though we were of course warned about stranger danger.)
Our neighborhood was new We had just moved there because my brother was about to be born and we needed another bedroom. Some of the lots were still under construction. When I was a kid building sites were a magnet for kids. Of course, we weren't supposed to mess around in them; there were a lot of dangerous spots in a construction site.
So Leslie and I were walking home and a wet day and we stopped to stomp around in the mud. I think this site was next door to my house, but memories are a bit foggy. We were wearing rain boots and having a fun time. Then my foot got stuck in the mud. I couldn't pull it out. Leslie pulled too, but my foot didn't budge.
Leslie said, "I've gotta go home. Bye!"
We were five years old. I said good-bye. Neither of us thought about having Leslie go get an adult. I don't remember even being panicked.
So I started calling, "Help!" Over and over.
On that particular day, my mother was in the hospital, having just given birth to my brother. My grandmother was staying at our house, taking care of my sister and me. It felt like I called and called forever, but my grandmother did eventually hear and come out to see what was happening. She pulled me and my boot out of the mud and took me home.
That's where my memory stops. She probably cleaned me up and gave me lunch.
When I was teaching writing and story arcs to my elementary students, I used this story as an example. Everyone has stories to tell.
Of course construction sites are a magnet to kids. We had coal holes within walking distance from us and they always drew my friends and me. Of course, we never told anyone where we were going and never gave any serious thought to possible danger.
ReplyDeleteI think most children think they are invincible - until something happens.
DeleteNot only is this a great story for teaching arcs, it also reflects a lot about what Jonathan Haidt talks about -- the absence of risk during childhood - in his new book THE ANXIOUS GENERATION. When there are no adults around, kids rise to the occasion and figure it out -- just like you did.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about children today - over-scheduled and never on their own with peers. Every generation has its unique signature - I wonder what this one will be like.
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