Discussing "MILF" with my song writer/client/friend (see previous post below) got us into a discussion about "milph" vs. "MILF" and he asked what I meant with my acronym. Somehow "Mother I'd Like to Play House [with]" popped into my head. And I remembered this...
DATE: Early 1970's
PLACE: Hintz Drive, in my hometown
PRESENT: Me, Jackie, David
Growing up, we had lots of kids in the neighborhood. Ours was a new development created just for me (in my ego-centric, baby-of-the-family spoiled-brat mind). I was the first "new baby" born on the street. Ok not born on the street, I was born in a hospital, but you know what I mean. New development + catholic families + 1966 = Lots of kids. No iPods, no video games, not even Atari yet (or pong) meant using your imagination.
We played "house." A lot. In the early days - 4, 5, 6 years old, it was pretty much Jackie & Dave & me. (in our later years we'd call ourselves, Jack, Tieds & Mel and were the kings of the 20 or so kids running wild in the streets). Dave lived across the street, Jackie 2 doors down. We were in the "first section" of the eventual cul de sac - only about 10 houses - and beyond Jackie's house was blissful dirt road, woods, ponds, the "dirt mountain" - all to be discovered a little later. For now, we were content to play mostly in Jackie's yard because he had all the cool toys, perfect for "House." Play food, ride on tractor toys and ride on cars, yard bowling, lots of toy guns (sheriff stuff). Lots of bushes and a convenient lawn chair.... And an attached garage full of these toys with no car in it and, better yet, no direct access from real house to our Play House for nosey moms to peek in.
Being 4 months older than Jackie and a whole year Older than Dave, I called the shots. Plus I was The Girl. The Bossy Girl.
Jackie (imagine James Garner in his uber-hot younger days, I kid you not) was, naturally, the Husband.
Dave the son (Imagine Opy on Andy Griffith I kid you not).
Me, the hottie housewife.
Ok ok I didn't know the word Hottie existed. And it probably didn't back then. And I was 5. Still, I was the mom/wife/boss of the universe.
so Mr. James Rockford, uh I mean Jackie, would go "off to work" on his mini John Deere tractor (his dad was a landscaper by trade in the summer - some engineering job in the winter, I think), Davey would go off to school, and I would "cook dinner." I repeat, we were 5.
I don't remember much of "playing house." I do remember an interesting twist to the game - the memory brought on partly, I'm sure, by my mother's memory of it.
One time when Daddy came home from work, Davey was sent to play while Jackie and I grabbed a lawn chair behind the bushes and spent some time checking out each other's lips. Just lips people, we were 5.
In our later years, the Jackie, Tieds, Mel years, Jackie and I rediscovered each other's lips briefly one summer (LIPS people, I was a strict Catholic girl whose mother knew and saw everything). but somehow it was never as good as that first, sweet time when we were 5, the world was his garage and yard, and Dave was the faithful Opie-like Son.
And so, you say MILF. I say MILPH. Mother I'd Like to Play House with...
7 comments:
This is one of the sweetest things I've read in a while. It brought back so many memories of my own "house" playing
Very cute. I remember playing house too. Somehow is was alway more fun than the "real" thing.
kissing at 5???
I thought I was the only one???
hussies. ;)
But in retrospect running the neighborhood streets was so great. My kids don't have a clue about it. we have no sidewalks and everyone has a few acres. It takes a day to walk to our closest friends who are 9 houses down. ;)
Too cute. I was the bossy big sister. We played Batman a lot. I always wanted to be Cat Woman. Call me a hussy.
My brother and I are a year apart. I dragged him into playing house with me. Of coarse, I was the mom and he the dad. My grandmother has a video of us at about 5. It's the funniest thing to watch!
Would you believe I didn't hear the term MILF until about 2 years ago? It was at a comedy show on a cruise ship and my 16 year old son had to explain it to me. Aaawkward!
Your neighborhood sounds great. I remember when they were building an apartment complex on our street. Kid heaven!
You NEVER ran the streets...
(your slightly older brother and Jackie's brother did, after we got it from our older siblings...)
I played house too. It was my favorite game. Doesn't it sound strange to say that we didn't have a lot of toys and imaginary play was more fun anyway? Kissing at five was just using your imagination. Nothing but innocence. It was a happy time looking back, don't you think?
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