Childhood Memories Of P.S. 10 & Park Slope Circa 1900

Being a grownup is pretty cool. I can eat what I want, stay up as late as I want, dress how I want, and I never have worry about algebra homework — at least until my kid gets old enough to start bringing that mess home.

Then again, the weight of finances, employment, parenthood, marriage, and all of those other responsibilities that sneak up sometime in your 20s, can leave even the most content of adults yearning for the simplicity and innocence of childhood.

In 1940, a woman named Laura Sowaal Ulrich mailed a letter to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, reminiscing about growing up in Park Slope and attending elementary school at P.S. 10 (7th Avenue, between Prospect Avenue and 17th Street).

Not only does the letter shine light on days gone by in Park Slope, it shows us the types of childhood memories that really hang on throughout one’s lifetime. Things like singing songs with friends at school:

Or the thrill pulling off a covert fruit basket operation, and waiting with bated breath for the teacher to return.

When you’re a kid, the bigger things are, the better they are. Especially when we’re talking about giant slabs of rock that just happen to move past your school during dismissal:

Every construction site is awe-inspiring:

But castle-like armories definitely reign supreme.

Modern day parenthood has a tendency to run amok with overindulgence. Sure we want to give our kids the moon, but letters like the one from Ms. Ulrich prove that the most memorable childhood experiences don’t always revolve around expensive gifts or privilege.

Just being in the moment, and opening your child’s eyes to the magic of everyday life right here in our own neighborhood, is enough to make memories that will last a lifetime.