SC-S29/W5 – Nostalgia Of The Little Me: A Place Filled With Childhood Memories

Every child loves it when he or she is taken to a playground, amusement park, or Disneyland, as they say, where they can play with other children and have fun together. These were the kind of cravings I had in my childhood, and my parents did justice to that; they gave me the best childhood life with fun and memories.

My favorite place from childhood is the Crunches. Any Nigerian who grew up in the 2002 era till date will know Mr. Biggs and Crunches. These two places were children's favorite places. Crunches is an eatery, but it has a playground inside. This is where my dad would take me every weekend for me to recreate and have a fun time with other kids.

Crunches back then had an exterior and interior playground. I just had to recreate the exterior with my phone currently while showing a picture of the building for reference. Crunches had been in existence for years before they relocated and changed their name to Crunches Plus. They had everything adults and children wanted. The ice cream and popcorn weren't left out in this place. It was the cravings of every kid back then when ice cream was affordable.

This place was located because it relocated and changed its name to Crunches Plus. Parents would spend their time to go extra miles to get to either Crunches or Mr. Biggs. My favorite was Crunchies because of the popcorn and ice cream sold there and the games especially.

Mr. Biggs was quite famous but didn't have my taste of childhood fun when it comes to play. It was special to me because they had all the glittery things that could entice my parents and me to give me fun. I would turn my eyes and see ice cream, and my parents won't have a choice but to get it for me. It was also special to me because it was where my family usually spent time in recreation on weekends.

This place brought us together and united the love bonds in my family more. You know a situation where your parents would be occupied with work on a weekly basis and barely have time for you, as most parents are doing today. So anytime I pass through this place, I remember those days, those moments.

Like I had stated earlier, one of the beautiful memories I had that was connected to this place was the fact that my family had time for recreation in this place. This place made us alive and brought us together. I can also remember going out with my friends every Sunday with their family. We would use the swing to do pursuer, which is a game in which you must not be caught. The seesaw was the best and most tense game because it drove out the phobia of heights in me. I just can't resist anytime I'm on this seesaw.

When you're up, you'll be placed there for a minute even if you shout. No one gets hurt because there was protective armor on it. We would enter a hole and play hide-and-seek. The last person to be caught gets an ice cream from our parents. These memories were part of our lives even as we're all grown up now. It's sad to say I'm not close to these childhood friends anymore because they relocated to a distant land.

The people who are always there with me in this place are my parents. Both of them usually take me and my siblings out for family time. The presence of both of them being here creates love and unity in the family. The most precious memory of this place, which is precious to me, was when my parents celebrated their 10th anniversary. We did it here, and it was too colorful. It reminded us that a family can be happy and bonded for life if they apply their Bible-given roles to avoid the kind of marriage people experience today.

The deeper meaning of this 10th anniversary in the place that was the last place we visited—this place—due to relocation was that marriage is meant to last forever because of the vows made. Marriage was meant to build a loving family, a family where everyone has time for themselves, recreates, and bonds spiritually. Most families have wealth, but aren't you really happy because that family time is not there?

The father barely has time to play with the children and recreate with the wife. I never missed family time in my childhood. It has saved our family from unnecessary quarrels, disunity, separation, and divorce. It has also taught me that as I advance and eventually get married to my beautiful wife, I need to have family time with them. It will help build the bond in my family and marriage.

Crunches improve my cravings every day. It reminds me that I used to bond with my siblings when I was much younger, and we did create beautiful memories in our heads. Concerning my cravings, which were popcorn and ice cream, my emotions rise anytime I pass this place, perceiving the aroma of freshly popped corn and bread.

As to influence, I'm more free with my parents than most children, who find it difficult to communicate with their parents concerning things that bother them in life. Why? Because they created this atmosphere for that family bonding to exist and for recreation to be paramount in our lives. That's what Crunches made possible. We were their regular and best customers.

I invite @blessedlife, @okere-blessing, and @dhizy.