When I was a child, 2 things made Children’s day extra special for me. One of them was the ice cream while the other was the MatchPass in the public field.
Children’s day was the only day in the whole year that I got to take Ice cream. I still remember how it felt, in short; I can practically taste the sweet melting feel of the ice cream in my mouth as I type. It used to be in a blue and white paper wrap with a stick stuck in it that we held while we happily licked the ice cream. Christ, it was glorious.
The second thing I looked forward to was the MatchPass in the public field. I remember lots of kids from over 20 different schools in the Local Government Area, coming together on this field. There used to be a beehive of kids with their smart uniforms and white socks, all in different clusters, talking excitedly, some of them practicing their ‘salutes’ before the big MatchPass, while others ran around the field excitedly. It used to be such a big deal to match past the saluting area proudly waving our school flags. It was so much fun.
Another event I enjoyed was the traditional dances. Little girls with their 2 piece wrappers, one to cover their chests (even though, their chests were mostly flat lol) and the bigger one for their waists. Beads were used to adorn their hair and waists and they’ll dance so beautifully, you could almost be certain of standing ovations. Sometimes, a child's top wrapper could slip off her chest and she'll scramble for it quickly to cover 'her decency' My! that was fun.
I was never really the dance type, but the MatchPass and that ice cream, those were my favourite Children Day special.
Today, I am a mother to a 15 month old sweet little munchkin and I wonder what parents can do today to make Children’s day truly special for our children that will leave them with beautiful lasting memories.
As we say ‘Happy Children’s Day’ to our little ones, Mums (and Dads too) please share your sweet children's day memories and drop your ideas on how to make it equally fun for the child of today