When I was growing up we didn’t get Nickelodeon. My greatest aspiration was to be one of the blessed children who woke up to Rugrats on Saturday morning. Instead, I watched Pinky and the Brain which strikes me now as not for small children.1
Even without cable, Saturday mornings were a treat. I would wake my little brother up, shaking him rudely, and we’d run down the hall to bang, gently at first, on my parent’s bedroom door.2
Everything was good as long as Dad was awake. Through his garbled sleepy mumblings we could always make out a ‘yes’ followed with a ‘but keep it down.’3
Mom was another story. As was often the case, Mom would be up playing computer games in the bedroom.4
“Dad?” I would venture.5
“What?” Definitely NOT Dad.6
“Ummm…Mom, is Dad awake?”7
“No, he’s asleep. What do you need?”8
“Well, er, we were wondering if we could watch cartoons?” and then a hasty addition, “We promise to be quiet!”9
“No, why don’t you find something productive to do.”10
Mom loves the word productive. It is her excuse for any deprivation of fun. When you’re a kid, the lines of productive are very bleary. You don’t have homework to do, or cleaning, except for when Mom realizes that she hasn’t forced you to do manual labor recently. If you whine too much, productive is “clean your room,” but on good days, drawing a picture will suffice. Mostly, Mom just wants to keep you from the time-sucking drain of modern electronics. 11
Author notes
Anybody have any suggestions for a better title? Does this strike you as just the beginning of some longer writing? It makes me feel like I’ve kind of just left it hanging, but I don’t know where to go from here.
What did you think? Please comment!
Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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nice write. i like the title. it drew me in. but yes, i think you should definitly add more. i feel like the story should continue! i liked it though. ah, i hate it when the stricter parent is there and you just cant get around them to the softer one! lol. i used to LOVE watching the rugrats on Saturday morning. i'm sorry you had to miss out on that staple of childhood
great write though. i hope you add more!
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thanks, i liked your suggestion, it is now entitled Saturdays, do you really think i should submit it to roar?, maybe i will, i dont know, self confidence is kind of low these days, yeah, so anyway thanks for your feedback, i watched nick jr. at my grandparents as well, that was some good stuff
~Lucy
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You could just add an "s" to make it Saturdays. But ohhhh I love this...you should submit it to Roar!
I was the same way w/ Nickelodeon. I only got to watch it when we went to my grandparents' beach house and I'd watch Nick Jr. aaaall morning w/ Muppet Babies and Little Bear and Rugrats and EUREKA'S CASTLE!! Oh man that was the best.
Good write. ^_^ -
not really vidoe games, computer games like minesweeper or solitaire she is against video games (or so it seems) thanks for reading
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I do like your title, althought "Brain Sucking Electronics" or something along those lines would REALLY capture a reader's attention. I enjoyed learning about your Saturday mornings when you were younger, I am surprised to learn that your mother plays video games! Anyway, keep posting.
~
Em
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