If you asked any of our elders, When is the right time to let your child go alone to the bodega? They would say, as soon as they can carry a note and hold a bag.
Talking was not a perquisite to run errands, although memorizing the shopping list was an important rite of passage. Some kids could do that way before they could read or write. Running errands was your stepping stone towards adulthood and independence.
I was told I started running errands when I was still being breastfed. To be fair with my mom, I was big enough (for their standards), it was just that I refused to let go of breast milk. According to some accounts, I was three and counting. I would go to Plutarco’s bodega, just wearing underpants; I’d drop the note, grab the bag, bring it to mom, and ask for my milk as an errand-running compensation, I guess.
Paradoxical as this long-term breastfeeding practice may look, these women knew how to combine natural feeding (a guarantee of health and familial bonding) with independence-minded child raising (letting you feel that you could do grownup stuff).
There were risks, of course, even back in the day, in sending small children to run errands, especially in their undies, but I do not recall anything more serious than dropping the breakfast bread in a puddle after a rainy day, or getting the wrong items, which translated into running back to the bodega, falling down (because you were now in a rush), and getting a bruised knee.
Parents back then understood that any setback in that independence process was learning and a small price to pay. It was tough-love days. However, the whole community contributed to making the process as smooth as possible. It really took a village to raise a kid. Now that I think about it, the reason for grocers to sell items like power milk, corn flour, oil, beans, and the like in small amounts was not so much that people could not afford the whole kilo or liter of the original package, but that there were small feeble children running the errands. It was easier for any kid to carry small amounts of anything home and save the day.
Going alone to the bodega was a blast, especially when the bodeguero was nice and you could kindly ask for a ñapa, an extra something in any items you had purchased (piece of cheese, an extra fruit) or an aside treat like a candy or chewing gum. Those were the incentives that moved the errand-running industry back then.
Now kids feel very independent to reject parental control of any kind, but they can’t help with house chores or have no clue how, where or when to shop for the best groceries for the house. They can’t even interact outside the comfort of their virtual spaces. When we went to the bodegas alone, we were just interacting with a whole community on own terms. Kids now may be surrounded by physical or virtual people, but they have never been more alone.
Thanks for your reading
This was my entry to @mariannewest and @latino.romano’s 5 Minute Freewrite: Sunday Prompt: GO ALONE. You can see the details here.
Make sure you visit the Freewrite House!!!
I had to take a deep breath before being able to type something. Truth be told, if I could wish for one thing, it'll be to be born in the 80s or 90s as I think there was a lot of cordiality and awesomeness than today. Yes we have advanced technologies today but I think back in those days it was more fun compared to now. When I hear old stories like this one, it triggers my thinking faculty and I imagine what life was like in those ages where technology wasn't this advanced. Really interesting read here I must confess.
Thanks for stopping by.
Those were definitely great days, at least for Venezuelans. The current regime has tried to rewrite history and make those years look like a torture after another where people were so poor they ate dog food. I mean, we did not even have vets in my town. Pets grew and died without knowing what a shot was; they ate human food (and that was truth for most towns).
Anyways, the point is we breathe cordiality, as you point out. Those were tough days too because of many limitations (communication, medical advances, etc), but I think that human interaction compensated for that. We were healthier and with a clearer sense of purpose.
We were also more cynical and self-deprecating. That saved us a lot of traumas.
I honestly believe this part, I don't think there were so many diseases available at least not a pandemic disease as we have today 😩.
You bet it did🥺
I love how you call it the "errand-running industry"😅
What can I say, times really have changed.
Kids of these days are raised more leniently, I wonder what could be the cause.
All in all, this is a great piece. Very entertaining
Thank you very much. So glad you enjoyed it.
I guess technology, in the name of modernity and progress has considerably altered our nature.
We'll have to wait a bit to see how good or bad this has been.