As of a few weeks ago, Saturday morning cartoons have become a thing of the past. I haven't watched in years, but when I'd last checked in on the lineup, I wasn't very impressed. The cartoons running at that time, whatever they were, were no match for those of my childhood - Garfield and Friends, Smurfs, Darkwing Duck, Bobby's World, Bugs Bunny & Tweety, Rescue Rangers, Land of the Lost, Saved by the Bell, City High, and so on. We didn't have cable, so we watched whatever was on ABC, CBS, or NBC, or in our collection of videos - a few classic Disney cartoons, some other random things. Sometimes we'd rent Animaniacs on VHS, and Blake I and currently working our way through the series again thanks to Amazon Prime.
Luckily, I'm an adult now and I can pretty much watch what I want when I want, schedule permitting. As a kid, not so, and I was okay with that. TV time was a privilege, not a right. If Mom or Dad said so, we could watch, but only if we asked.
Except for Saturday mornings. On Saturday mornings, we could get up as early as we liked, turn on the TV, and watch cartoons until and sometimes after Mom got up and made pancakes. We didn't have to ask permission on those days.
And yet, every Saturday morning, I'd wake up, go to my parents' room, wake up my Mom, and ask if I could watch cartoons. Every Saturday morning she would say yes, remind me that I didn't need to ask permission on Saturdays, and off I'd go. At some point, it started becoming my job to mix up the pancake batter and so added asking my half asleep mother for the recipe, which she had memorized. Again. It wasn't until sometime in the last few years I finally put that recipe somewhere I would remember.
I'm glad my mother loves me, even if I woke her up early every Saturday morning. Saturday morning cartoons were such an enjoyable part of my childhood memories that to celebrate my 22nd birthday, I got some cartoons on DVD, bought a bunch of cereal, milk, and cheap bowls (which I still have), and invited friends over on a Saturday morning.
I lived with roommates then, so I didn't have to ask my mom for permission.
Luckily, I'm an adult now and I can pretty much watch what I want when I want, schedule permitting. As a kid, not so, and I was okay with that. TV time was a privilege, not a right. If Mom or Dad said so, we could watch, but only if we asked.
Except for Saturday mornings. On Saturday mornings, we could get up as early as we liked, turn on the TV, and watch cartoons until and sometimes after Mom got up and made pancakes. We didn't have to ask permission on those days.
And yet, every Saturday morning, I'd wake up, go to my parents' room, wake up my Mom, and ask if I could watch cartoons. Every Saturday morning she would say yes, remind me that I didn't need to ask permission on Saturdays, and off I'd go. At some point, it started becoming my job to mix up the pancake batter and so added asking my half asleep mother for the recipe, which she had memorized. Again. It wasn't until sometime in the last few years I finally put that recipe somewhere I would remember.
I'm glad my mother loves me, even if I woke her up early every Saturday morning. Saturday morning cartoons were such an enjoyable part of my childhood memories that to celebrate my 22nd birthday, I got some cartoons on DVD, bought a bunch of cereal, milk, and cheap bowls (which I still have), and invited friends over on a Saturday morning.
I lived with roommates then, so I didn't have to ask my mom for permission.
3 comments:
I wasn't that in to Saturday morning cartoons when I was a kid. I always slept in. My "cartoons" of choice these days are sewing and home improvement shows on PBS on Saturday mornings.
Those are great choices!
That birthday party was one of my favorites! I have fond memories of watching Looney Tunes with my grandpa on Saturday mornings--he had the fancy cereals my parents didn't buy, and he let us have whatever we wanted when we visited them. He'd laugh and laugh at Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner. I don't know what's on anymore, but I'm pretty convinced that it's not as good as what was on when I was a kid (Hanna Barbara excepted, because most of those are pretty bad).
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