I mentioned in my about page I was raised by a single mom. Mom is Portuguese (which means I am 🇵🇹 too) and I was born in the US in June of 1979.
I mention this because my childhood babysitters were my grandparents and my 7 aunts and uncles, mom is the oldest of 8!
My other babysitters were movies and sitcoms and the good ole VCR.
I was with family most of the time when mom was working 2 jobs. Afterschool I was at grandmas, and I was fed my afternoon snack, and started my routine of watching reruns on TV. Laverne & Shirley, The Brady Bunch, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. Grandpa used to watch Three’s Company or Too Close for Comfort at the end of the day. It was a daily ritual. To this day it is what I associate them with the most.
When I got picked up to go home, Mom had a schedule for me each week that included activities and chores. I was supposed to do the activities as best as I could and I’d get sticker stars. Gold stars for excellent, green for half done and red for some effort. The chores: put books and games away, do my homework, bath and get my PJs on. On the activity side it was always something fun. Go to the local indoor pool (The Natatorium) for an evening swim, do a craft project like learning how to use a loom.
On this schedule, 2 nights a week I could watch a show. Usually Who’s The Boss, Growing Pains, or Family Ties.
I could always relate to the Who’s The Boss the most because of course, a daughter raised by a single parent was very similar to my situation. I drank it up because I saw myself in their story. It still remains my favorite comfort show from age 5 to 8. Tony Danza the jokester, the fun parent and Angela, Jonathan and Mona. What a crowd! It is now on Hulu and I LOVE IT! Later on you can expect a post just about WTB, all in due time.
On Friday nights, Mr. Belvedere and on others Cheers, Alf, Webster, The Facts of Life, Different Strokes, Head of the Class, Benson, Busom Buddies, The Cosby Show, The Golden Girls and even a little Scarecrow and Mrs. King! I was raised on these shows like you were and just hearing the theme songs make my heart melt just a little.
Life was simpler back then. No cell phones. No internet. We had the patience to make mixtapes, time and space to play outside and just be regular kids. We did things with our hands, like color coloring books, play with legos, and do puzzles. We were allowed to be bored and told to entertain ourselves. We had space to let our creativity roam and daydream about what was most important to us.
I know we can’t change our past and escaping to live in the past isn’t favorable if we want to be firmly grounded in the present. But we can travel to the past and visit the corners of our minds and hearts from way back when. So here we are. If you notice a wistful tone in this post it is simply because I miss this part of my life before things got challenging. I miss the pure joy and simplicity of how things worked. I loved my 80s childhood and I loved everything up until we moved to Portugal when I turned 8. This era is part of my time capsule. And so to you I say, let’s remember and time travel together!
xo,
Lady Nostalgia
PS: My astrology sign is a Cancer. I’m built for nostalgia!
PS 2: Nostalgia is sweeter when we share it — I’ll see you in the comments.