Places From Childhood: Write About Them Before They Disappear
Childhood is a special time. The places we explored were important to growing up. My recent experience has shown that many childhood locations could be at risk of disappearing. Record your memories of these special places before it is too late.
When we’re young we like to think that things will always stay the same. Consequently, it’s often a shock to revisit places from your childhood and be faced with deterioration and decay.
That was the case for me today. My husband and I had driven to a nearby beach, to look at a house my writing group has access to for weekend writing retreats. I’ve booked a weekend in it next month and, as it’s only a short drive away, thought it would be a good idea to locate the house and know where I am going.
The house is located on an estuary where my local river meets the ocean. It is the place where I spent many childhood summers, camping in a tent with my parents. It’s the place where I was given freedom to explore on my own, within what my parents obviously considered a relatively safe environment.
One of the landmarks close to the beach camping ground was a clump of pine trees. Across the sandy road from the campsite, they stood tall and proud, and were a perfect playground for a young girl wanting to be alone. There was no danger involved, unless I disobeyed my parents and crossed the road on the other side, or ventured toward the river at the end. I was a well behaved child and so was allowed this kingdom of trees to play in.
A kingdom it certainly was. To this day, whenever I’m greeted with the smell of pine needles, I think of my summertime haven. I spent hours amongst the relatively small grove of trees, creating fantasy stories that were mine alone. I think I knew every tree in that small area and had my favourite hiding places.
Today, driving past that clump of trees, in search of where the writing house is located, my heart fell. It was the saddest looking clump of trees I’ve ever seen. The volume of trees was quite thinned out and those remaining looked sick and on their death beds. I realised it wouldn’t be long before my so called pine plantation, that small clump of trees, would no longer exist.
We all probably have places like this, rich in our childhood days and now in threat of being eliminated. I can do nothing to save that small clump of trees, but I can record my memories of them. Fifty years on, my memories are strong. Maybe in fifty months from now, if not sooner, they will no longer be there.
I had intended doing different writing during my writing weekend at the beach. But now, those trees are calling me. The campsite no longer resembles the place we stayed at over the summer months, but I’ve accepted that for years. The Boat Club has gone, relocated just down the road from the house I’m going to be staying in. The playground has been modernised. The river and estuary have changed shape over the years. But, the pine trees have been neglected. No longer would they attract children with vivid imaginations. Their days are over.
I now know I must do something to preserve those summer time days of the 1950s. I suspect this first visit to the writers cottage will not be my last. Without invitation, a new writing project has thrust itself upon me. If I don’t preserve those memories of a once fashionable beach area, maybe no one will.
If there are places in your childhood that are endangered, on the brink of extinction, I urge you to consider writing your memories down. record your childhood memories, so that all is not lost. Write about the places from your past before they disappear.
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June 26th, 2011 at 1:14 am
thanks for this unique advice to many children!
June 26th, 2011 at 1:16 am
How nice of you Valz. The school that I studied is no more in its place, the teachers, principal…oh what a lovely school it was. Would love to write about my school and its memories one day.
June 26th, 2011 at 2:02 am
I thought it’s a great idea to record our childhood memories.. and I think I also have nice childhood memory, thanks for this article..
June 26th, 2011 at 2:30 am
What a nice article. I wrote an article about my grandparents farm in Springville, Alabama.
June 26th, 2011 at 3:14 am
You gave me very useful tip to save my childhood memories thanks for waking me up nice article
June 26th, 2011 at 4:14 am
A good reminder, so much is disappearing before our own eyes.
June 26th, 2011 at 6:53 am
A lot of the past scarily fades for many reasons. Very nice work.
June 26th, 2011 at 8:23 am
A very well-written article.
I often wonder with these places, that maybe this is how they always were, and that as children we are so fascinated by the world that we saw only the beauty in these trees, and after the years have passed, our perceptions change and we see them so differently. Maybe it is us who have changed, and not the world around us.
June 26th, 2011 at 11:56 am
Great article Val. I have a sweet memory of my grandparents farm in South Carolina.
June 26th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
Liked the read here Val, and the message cheers
June 26th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
You know Val… I really should do this.. one of my fodest memories is taking horse riding lessons while in New Zealand..
in fact this is my strongest childhood memory of all.
June 27th, 2011 at 6:17 am
Very touching indeed.
The house that I lived in has been altered and the rooms divided by walls. I can’t bear to visit it.
June 27th, 2011 at 11:35 am
You’re so right Val! I had a wonderful childhood back in the 1960s here in Norfolk (UK) and have very fond memories of picnics with our tribe of relations on various beaches and heaths. I’ve been meaning to do this for yonks!
On a similar theme – I wish I’d made a clear note of my father’s life. He was born just after WW1 and he and his four siblings had a great childhood in a small village close to the North Norfolk coast. He had an interesting time in the army during WW2 and then became a crop inspector in and around Norfolk before he and Mum opened up a village store and post office which, in itself, brought various humorous incidents to the fore!
Likewise, my mother was adopted by my so-called grandparents in 1934 at the age of 5 and spent her formative years close to an RAF station in rural Norfolk. She can remember the flights in and out during the Battle of Britain and various bombing raids in Norwich. Unfortunately she was not destined to have a particularly happy childhood as my grandmother beat her aand made her life a misery. She’s now in her 80s and gets confused over so many of the tales she told me when I was younger.
June 27th, 2011 at 11:48 am
In case you’re interested Val – I’ve been receiving the exact same spamming comment as above on dozens of my articles but by xiaoquuyy. I reported it to Triond and I suspect they’ve banned him from Triond so he’s now set up an account under the guise of xiaoqdeww.
June 27th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
Very enjoyable!
June 27th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
cool way nice
June 28th, 2011 at 7:23 am
you are right, Val. I should start to write on them, but most of them already disappeared, some not yet but have changed, just like that merlion, nearly disappeared, lol.
June 29th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
You are right, writing about special places from one’s past is a good idea. Though, most places that were special to me when I was a child are long gone … (since they were mostly places out there in nature and trees I was climbing, such places often disappear or change completely over time).
July 1st, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Reminds me of the creek my cousin and I used to play in when we were kids. It’s now a hotel.
July 17th, 2011 at 5:13 am
You are so right, Val. My brothers and I went for a trip down memory lane a few years ago to the town where we lived a young children, and we didn’t recognise it. All our old haunts had disappeared beneath building sites, our schools had gone and friends we knew were no longer there. Now I know why I write so many poems about my childhood. A really enjoyable piece.
August 9th, 2011 at 9:32 pm
Very nice!
October 21st, 2011 at 4:29 am
Childhood memories never lasts.