FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORY - THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Welcome to San Antonio, Texas and the neighborhood. This Favorite Childhood Memory is brought to you compliments of Tina Adcock-Thomas. A childhood memory that lives on even today.

Thanks for sharing Tina. Sit back and enjoy THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

Tina writes:

Well... I am lucky enough to have tons of favorite childhood memories. One of my favorites is my childhood neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas. There were about 30 houses on our street and an average of 3 kids in each one. I say average, but in our predominantly German-, Mexican-, and Irish-Catholic city, some families (like mine) had 2 children, and others (like next door) had 6 children. The age range at the time we moved there was mostly 1 to 13 years old, although there were a few families with high school aged kids - and they were the first batch of babysitters.

Anyway, I lived on this street for about nine years before my family moved to Los Angeles, California. Pretty much everyone else stayed until they left for college... many of their parents still live in the same house, and a few of my friends have moved back to the neighborhood to raise their own children.

So, to say all of our families was close was an understatement. We have actually had "family" reunions made up of the neighborhood families. Lord forbid that you did something wrong at someone else's house!! You most likely would get swatted by the parent there, sent home, and swatted upon entering your door!! We grew up in and out of each other's homes.

Growing up there, I have an abundance of great memories, but there is one that sticks out in my mind. One of my neighbors was a boy named Patrick. He was what was termed "mentally retarded" back in the day. I'm sure there is a more "PC" term for his disability now. Patrick looked a little different then the rest of us... he kind of resembled a little old man... he looks the same today at 46. He has a great capacity for certain facts: state capitols, the weather, sports. he was one of four children and his parents never treated him differently then his siblings. He was expected to do the same chores, etc. and do well in his classes at school, and it didn't matter that he was in Special Education, as long as he went to the same school as the rest of us did. Because his family treated him like any "normal" kid, so did the rest of us. He was included in everything. We played with him... we fought with him... he was one of us. And although we could pick on him - as kids do with each other - God help an outsider if they chose to pick on him. Although there were many similar occasions, one time in particular, about four Junior High kids from a few blocks away were riding there bikes down our street. A bunch of us were playing basketball on someones driveway and Patrick was walking toward us from a few houses away. The kids on the bikes surrounded Pat and started teasing him. I don't think any of us playing ball realized this at first - we were into our game. Anyway, they wouldn't let him pass and they were calling him "retard" and other names. Well, let me tell you... there were about six of us - all younger than the boys in question - and we swarmed them. Talk about being on someone like "white on rice!!" It took a couple of mothers to break the melee up and send the bloody-nosed boys on there way!! We all got in trouble for fighting, but not too much trouble, if you know what I mean.

Just a follow up story on Patrick. I asked Tina if she could give us an update on Patrick. Here's what she said:

"He still lives in SA. He lives on his own and works at Kelly Air Force Base - or did last I knew a couple of years ago. He is like the Ambassador of the city. He could never drive, so he uses the bus system and I promise you that when we go down there, I end up meeting random people who know him. Last time, my husband and I went to a party at one of his old high school friends house (different high school then the one Patrick went too), and I met a random person there who worked with him. Everyone who has met him, remembers him. His parents and one of his sisters live in San Antonio."

A little extra tidbit: His oldest sister, L'Anna, played basketball for the Hogs! She still holds a long jump record in the city of San Antonio (as of 2005), too.


Thanks for sharing Tina. This was truly a memory to remember.

Until next time,
THE DAILY DOSE