Rita's Family History Blog and Personal Journal: June 2011

Mom as a Baby

I had a chance to read some of my Mom's diary dated 1937-1940. In reading it I realized that teenagers back then are basically the same as now. The only difference, they had no TV, no DVD player, cell phone, X Box, Wii or IPad etc. But when it came to boys and social activities, they are pretty much the same. They did have a lot more chores to do that's for sure. My mom had to clean the house, do the dishes and help with ironing and laundry before she could go out to play. She also had to curl her hair every night and her mother's hair as well. They lived in Fairview Utah where they knew everybody and were related to almost everybody.

She was a lot more popular than I was. She always had some activity going with friends and boyfriends. She said boys used to wink at her in church and school. She had one particular boy she really loved. His name was Spencer. Her dad told her that had to move to Price for his job and she said she bawled and bawled for days because she had to leave Spencer. She said it was not just Puppy Love either.

In Price, she found a new boyfriend and managed to get on with life. She said it was the worst day of her life when she had to move and leave Spencer. She went uptown a lot and went to a lot of movies. She listened to the radio. She also went to a lot of dances. She played paper dolls and every night she had to read or tell stories to her sister, Beverly who was 10 years younger than she was.

On a typical day she would write in her diary: Got up, fixed breakfast and did the dishes and then went to school. I liked my Spanish class. I could not stop looking at Spencer. He probably doesn't even know I am alive. I like him swell. The day turned out to be awful because he didn't look at me at all. My friend Helen treated me bad all day. I went home, helped with supper, did the dishes. listened to the radio and curled mine and Mother's hair. I played paper dolls and told Beverly stories and went to sleep.

Some other days she would write: I was sick today and could not get up. I fainted twice. Mother made me miss school because I was so sick. It's been the worst time in my life. Daddy came home and I was excited. He works nights and sleeps days and so we have to be quiet. He gets really cross when he is tired. She did write that in 1937, her dad quit smoking and she was glad. Mother went off to her Relief Society meetings and I cooked for Dad, Duane Beverly.

It's hard to believe that after reading much of her diary, that her time here was so short. while reading it I realized that we are not here long on this earth and everybody should write a little bit about their life here so those who come after them can realize they are not just names or people we remember but they like us lived a life and had the same feelings we do today. I don't think we think much about our parents are grandparents of ever being young. Reading her diary was very bitter sweet. I now wish I had asked her more questions about her life as a child. There is a lot that I still wonder about like all the places she lived and people hung out with. I plan to write about and about my dad as well.