Sometimes I think about my childhood, which brings me pleasant memories. I was born in a small town in the north of Brazil. I came from a big family. With my parents and grandparents, we were 19 people. We lived in a big house. I liked to play with my sisters and with friends who lived in the same street as us. We went to the middle of the street to play dodgeball with a volleyball. We formed two equal teams. If there were 10 of us, there were five on each side. The road was dirt, so we marked the area with lines on the ground, like a football field. There was always one girl in front and the other girls behind. We took turns. The other team had to throw the ball at the opposite team with a lot of force. The girl who was in front had to try to hold the ball without dropping it. Otherwise, she had to leave the game. The last girl on the field won. Other games I liked to play were jumping rope or skipping. I also liked bathing in the rain because I liked the smell that came from the damp earth. But my favourite game was the game of checkers. I was always happy because I always won.
I know I had a wonderful childhood between school and children’s games. I loved going to school. When I couldn’t go, I cried.
I remember when I was 8 years old, I learned to ride a bike by myself.
My mother never wanted to buy us a bicycle. I think she was afraid we would get hurt. One day I decided to take my older sister’s bike. Although the bike was too big for me, I went without sitting on the saddle. Of course, I fell and cried. Although my knees and elbows were scratched, I continued until I learnt.
I don’t think children today have a sad childhood. I just think that things changed because now we use great and good technologies and have computers, mobile phones or tablets. Children today also have fun.