Leave it to Beaver

Question: What's the first sexual line uttered on commercial television?

Answer: Ward, I think you're being too hard on the beaver.

It's an old joke but it still makes me laugh. It's one of those where you only have to say the punchline. Everyone over 40 gets it.

I've been accused of looking at my childhood through rose-colored glasses. That's probably true. Still, it's more fun to remember the good times. My worst times would be considered insignificant and lame compared to what many children experience.

It wasn't exactly Beaverland. For instance, my mother never vacuumed while wearing a dress and pearls. She was more likely to put on lively music and dance around. My father didn't sit around in a suit and tie while reading the paper. He was more likely to take me to dance rehearsal or roll on the floor with the dog.

They didn't go to business dinners or evening affairs. We ate dinner together. This doesn't mean they didn't have a social life. While we rugrats were running around the neighborhood, they gathered on a porch. (We didn't care what they were doing as long as they left us alone.)

My parents still gather with the neighbors. I don't know if they sit on the porch but I know they have a standing game night. I'm a little jealous.

So, here I go again with rose-colored glasses...