Source: Fashion 18 (Online Archive)
Published: August 15, 2006
Author: Sarah Barrable-Tishauer
The Good Ol’ Days
The Rant
Do you ever sit and think about the good ol’ days? In my old age of 18, I’ve been thinking about my life so far and about what childhood means today versus when I was growing up. It’s funny because I’m not that much older than the kids I babysit. (Yes, I still babysit. It’s like the best job in the world—minus the diaper changing and temper tantrums.)
Yet I don’t remember ever watching TV except for the occasional Disney movie, and my favourite toy was my imagination. I never took an interest in Barbie or computer games or Game Boy or anything. I just remember having fun playing dress-up and make-believe with my friends.
It seems like so much has changed in 13 years. Nowadays, parents plop their kids in front of the TV instead of sending them outside to play. I think it’s really robbing children of developing their imagination, because all they do is passively watch television.
Whatever happened to a good ol’ game of hide-and-seek or dress-up in mommy and daddy’s clothes? Are those days gone? Will the adults of tomorrow only have Xbox, Game Boy and Nintendo to show for their childhood?
I think it’s really sad. And it’s not only that that seems to be changing. I’ve been to a few movies this summer and was appalled by the quality of entertainment. Movie plots are becoming weaker and weaker.
Horror movies merely use cheap scare tactics, comedies are barely funny and increasingly vulgar, and romances are purely sexual. I know I’m an old soul because my favourite movies are more than double my age, but how can you compare today’s movies to the originality of the 1968 thriller Rosemary’s Baby?
Or the hilarity of Monty Python, the romance in movies like Audrey Hepburn’s Roman Holiday, or the chemistry between Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers? These movies had real substance.
The Rave
I had the best long weekend! On Sunday morning my mom and I took the train to Niagara-on-the-Lake to meet her friends who rented a 34-foot sailboat. We spent the day sailing around the New York side of Lake Ontario and ended in Wilson, New York.
The boat was gorgeous—complete with a kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms and even a flat-screen TV. We docked at Wilson and enjoyed a meal by the harbour and live entertainment.
The next day, however, was rough. We hit thunderstorms and had the roughest five-and-a-half-hour journey of my life. I was extremely seasick, but I made it back to Toronto alive and very happy to be back on solid ground.
Now I’m looking forward to enjoying the last (YIKES!) days of summer. I’m reminded time is running out by the number of winter coats already in store windows—it’s only August!
Until next time. Enjoy the sunshine!
—Sarah B-T