Have you ever stopped to think about why you are who you are? What things molded you into you? What events from your childhood shaped the way you think and do things? I’m sure I could go on and on about why I’m so dependent and why I get so emotional over little things, but that’s not what I want to talk about in this post. If you were a child growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, you’ll probably be able to relate to my memories.
You Tube is a great little invention, don’t you think? You can search for almost anything and you’re sure to find it. My brother asked me a few months back if remember watching Polka Dot Door when I was little. This question threw me for a loop, as I had not thought about, let alone remembered the shows I watched as a child until that very moment. I know I must’ve been pretty small when I watched that show, so I couldn’t even fathom that my brother remembered it, as he’s 2 1/2 years younger than me! Regardless, when I heard him say Polka Dot Door, the theme song immediately popped into my head. What memories! The funny thing is, I can’t even remember what the show was about; I can only ever so slightly picture the stuffed animals/puppets that were some of the main characters of the show. And something about a Polkaroo. But that song danced around in my head; music just brings back so many memories for me.
So, back to You Tube. Of course I had to search for Polka Dot Door to see what I could find. I was disapppointed the very first time I searched for it to only find this computer generated purple man singing the theme song; no actual episodes. But to my avail, a few months later, I hit the jackpot! The entire opening and closing credits of the Polka Dot Door were posted! I couldn’t believe it. I was taken right back to my childhood for a few seconds. Although my memories of the actual show were very clouded, that theme song was all I needed.
So then I thought to myself, “What other shows can I find that I liked when I was a kid?” I searched for numerous shows and was pleasantly surprised every time. Fables of the Green Forest, The Great Space Coaster, Barbapapa (I thank my husband for that one), Mr. Dress Up, The Electric Company, Sesame Street (the old ones, not the crap that’s on TV today), Hattytown Tales, The Friendly Giant, Picture Pages; I could go on and on. I just remember listening to all these theme songs & seeing the episodes and was so amazed that my memories were so vivid. What a strange phenomenon. Memories from so long ago that seem so trivial and have no bearing on anything come back in a flash but when we want to remember something important that happened last week, we struggle to bring it to the front of our minds. It just shows you how significant everything was when you were a child; how something as simple as television shows can have that strong a hold on your little minds.
I’m not one to promote a lot of television to young children. However, if I wouldn’t have been plopped in front of the tube when I was young, I wouldn’t have these wonderful memories that I have today. Memories that bring out the true child locked away inside. Memories that bring back that innocence I once had when I was so young. Memories that truly shape who I am today.
