We fell like paratroopers onto the cool grass of fall after playing a few hours of a late afternoon game of football. We sat cross-legged in our circle of neighborhood friends chatting about anything that came to mind. No computers, I-Pods, or hundred-channel TVs anxiously awaited our return...only small, black and white/three-channel TVs, board games, bikes, albums and possibly GI Joe or Barbie missed us in our absence.

I grew up in the 60's and 70's in Louisiana and like most city kids my age then, we had to create our own entertainment through socializing with relatives and neighborhood friends. Conversation with others; siblings, parents, friends and acquaintances was a part of our daily lives. We didn't know how to be "loners". Limited space in our small homes didn't allow for anti-social behavior and technology hadn't yet crept into our daily lives to breed an anti-social culture.

One of the most vivid aspects of conversation that I recall from those days are the old wives' tales and superstitions that my mother verbally injected us with on a daily basis. Below are a few from her verbiage that bring back memories:

Pins, needles, and/or razor blades would be found in our Halloween treats.
Chewing gum takes 7 years to pass through the human digestive system.
Hair grows back darker or thicker after it has been shaved.
Cats can steal the air from a baby's mouth.
Wait an hour after eating before swimming.
If you go outside with wet hair, you'll catch a cold.
If your nose itches, company is coming.
An apple a day will keep the doctor away.
Breaking a mirror bring seven years of bad luck.
It's good luck to find a four-leaf clover.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
Two people pull apart the dried breastbone of a chicken or turkey until it cracks and breaks, each one making a wish while doing so. The person who gets the long half of the wishbone will have his/her wish come true.
Don't step on a crack on a sidewalk or walkway. You'll break your Mother's back.

As I grew up and developed a sense of self, these old superstitions and wives' tales became non-existent. However, urban legends are somewhat different...they are timeless stories with plots and characters that morph into contemporary settings and suck us into believing them.


Reference websites to research the validity of urban legends: http://b1.1colony.com/tales.html, www.snopes.com, www.kidshealth.org