The Top Five Material Things I Wanted as a Child, but Never Received.

As a child I remember there being certain things I wanted desparately, but was not allowed to have for one reason or another. Some because they were too expensive, others because my mom thought they were in poor taste. Well, this is a dedication to all those things!

The number one thing I always wanted was a pink Barbie Power Wheels Convertible. Now, before I was old enough to ask for any such thing, they got me a black and red Power Wheels Four Wheeler. In doing this, they made two fatal errors. One, they underestimated my wimpiness, as I was completely terrified to drive the thing. Two, they underestimated my girlyness, as I was convinced it looked like a boy's car. A couple years later, I laid my eyes on one of these pretty things for the first time. I asked for it repeatedly for birthdays and Christmas. They were convinced I would never play with it since I didn't pay with the four wheeler. Eventually, and much to my dismay, I got too big to drive one. If I ever get a Mustang convertible, I think it might be hot pink.

The second thing on my list would have to be the Barbie Dream House (I was very much a Barbie girl). I'm pretty sure that if I could have a real house now, I would want it to look just like this, only in a different color. I'm not sure why I never had one. Most likely, it was too expensive. Surely they knew I would have made good use of it. I played with nothing more than I played with Barbies. On the other hand, not having one forced me to be more creative. I used to take every book off my shelves and stack them creatively to "build" a house for my 50-some Barbies.




Number three on the list would be Jelly Shoes! Every other girl I knew had them in multiple colors. I begged and pleaded (oh, how I pleaded) for just one pair. Surely they weren't too expensive. You can get a pair now for just $5. They must have been even cheaper then. I seem to remember Mom thinking they were tacky, they would make my feet stink, and they would turn yellow from foot sweat. While these things are true, it didn't stop me from wanting them. In fact, since they are now back in style, I recently purchased a pair. I've not yet worn them because I'm saving them for an upcoming "Let's Go Back in Time" party.


Number four is now impossible to find. I always wanted a pair of leggings with the lace on the bottom. At the time, the ones I wanted weren't Capri length, they were like shorts to wear under a matching mini skirt. I remember people having them, and I distinctly remember them being worn on Full House and Clarissa Explains it All. Again, I have no idea why I wasn't allowed to have these. Mom must have thought they were tacky. On the other hand, she did allow me to wear stirrup pants, and I think those are far worse. Both of these are back in style now. I hear that if you've done a style once, you shouldn't do it again. Since I wasn't allowed to do these the first time around, I wonder if I could get away with it.



Number five is Umbro Shorts. I have no idea if these were popular everywhere, but at Sherman Elementary School, they were all the rage. I remember my friend Suzanne having tons of them. They were so cool and comfortable. Of course, the only reason I remember how comfortable they were is because I would borrow hers when I stayed at her house. I seem to recall them being pretty expensive.


It should be said that I was going to make this a list of 10 things I wanted, but I could not think of 10 things. That should tell you how spoiled I really was! I never did without anything I truly needed, and I had more than enough clothes and toys to make a little girl happy. I knew that my Mom and Dad loved me more than anything, and did their very best to care for me and make me happy. They still do!