Second grade was a fresh start. Summer fun had brought divine amnesia to lift the unsettling memories of first grade. Isn’t it like summer to set us at ease and heal the mind? Play is therapy for a child – and play – I DID!
{I’m joining Mommy’s Piggy Tales in recording reflections of youth}
Just after my 7th birthday I entered school for the second year. Because school had started for me, in the 1st grade. In my day, P-K literally meant pre Kindergarten, because Kindergarten wasn’t invented required. Are you still with me?
Stepping into the classroom, I was greeted my Miss Murphy. It felt like an episode out of Leave it to Beaver! My dreams had come true. Funny how I can still remember her clothes. {you know, the Laura Petrie look} She was pretty and more than that – she was NICE! I felt special … and she remembered my name … effortlessly. *sigh*
Being young for my grade, I was a late bloomer. But at 7 yrs I must have found my clip. Life was happening for me – this was the year of breakthroughs:
- Aunt ‘Jimmie Kay’ took me to Neiman Marcus for some over the top school dresses!
- Our dog had puppies {on Valentine’s Day} major highlight!
- I developed my first crush – those thick black glasses just melted my heart {he never knew, I mastered the art of stalking}
- My friends and I discovered pop music – The Monkee’s were the rage {google ‘em – you’ll agree}
- Pop culture was fun, clean and enriching – {at least in my world}
I remember this year as a time of stability for our family. As a child – you can feel it. Home life was predictable, my school was clean and nurturing, days were carefree and life was … good. I learned about myself, grew in stature and finally learned to read. 
Mom said I had the memory of an elephant – if so, it’s served me well to remember what life felt like as a little girl in a big classroom, learning to love and loving to learn.
Life’s experiences have taught me to be patient with the slower reader {I feel their pain} and to foster a carefree childhood {I remember the fun}. I’m still loving to learn.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds like 2nd grade was a wonderful year for you!
Thanks for sharing!
Enjoying the journey…such sweet times!
Janette
Valentine’s Day puppies! How fun…I’m thinking you had a great time naming them as a little second grader! Names such as Heart or Love, maybe?
Leave it to Beaver! I love it! Sounds like you had many great memories to celebrate!
I am truly amazed by your memory! I cannot recall that much information about my childhood. Sounds like 2nd grade was a turning point for you
What blissful memories! Sounds like you did have a great year. I loved my 2nd grade teacher too, and I remember liking school, except for phonics!
What a great idea this is to record your childhood memories. Debi, I LOVE the way you write…can totally visualize. (And I just loved those Monkees!)
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ’0 which is not a hashcash value.
Debi, I love your writing style and love the idea of writing down childhood memories!…(fun to reminisce…I was a Monkees fan too! Ha!
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Thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment about Feed Me Books Friday. It’s actually not my brain child, but Jana, from The Adventures in Motherhood, the same Jana who started Piggy Tales. She is taking July off and allowing a few of us to host it and we are so excited. Growing up, I loved books and have passed that on to 2 of my three kids. I’m so glad you’re doing Piggy Tales. It’s a time of reflection, remembering, and sometimes forgiving. Looking forward to reading more of your experiences. By the way, my husband loved the Monkee’s and every once in a while, while he is working in the garage, I can catch him humming “Hey, Hey, we’re the Monkee’s…”