And Then There's Dad

The Good Old Days (continued)

by Gary Drevitch

Later this summer, as my son diligently read books to complete a book log and win prizes from the public library and a local book store, he started asking if the baby’s books “counted”—books like “Colors” and “Shapes.” No, they didn’t. Then, when school started and he had nightly reading assignments, he asked about the books again. But “Where’s Spot?” still didn’t count for second-grade homework.

It’s often been written about how nostalgic today’s self-centered adults are for their formative years, as if the Baby Boomers and the generation that followed them invented the longing for one’s childhood. That’s nonsense. When I watch my six- and four-year-olds rolling the baby’s cars, toppling his blocks, and throwing his plush balls around the house, I know that nostalgia for simpler times must be hard-wired into all of us.

Seeing them with their baby toys has also been a remarkable way to see how much they’ve grown. Every parent says they regret how fast the time goes by, how quickly the kids go from needy toddlers to willful preschoolers, and finally to independent kids. I see in my kids’ eyes that, at some level, they regret it too.

And so, when they ask to sit on my lap and read “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” now back on their bookshelf for the baby’s future use, or to play “Piggies” with their feet in the bath like I do for the baby, I give in. And we all try to recreate, at least for a few moments, the connection we shared when we first bonded.

I think we’ll all be sad to see this baby outgrow his toys.

Gary Drevitch is a former assigning editor at Teen People, Parade Publications, and Scholastic. He’s also a dad with three young kids. A veteran producer of educational content for McGraw-Hill, Scholastic Inc., and Time Inc., he’s written several non-fiction books for children.  

Want more info on this topic? Start a discussion with our diverse community. Start a discussion