RURAL CHILDHOOD

When Paul Moyer, who grew up on the edge of Maryville, had free time in town, he and his friends spent the time playing baseball in the street or in his back pasture.  They also flew kites, skated on frozen ponds in the winter, and hitchhiked to Clarinda to go swimming or skating at the skating rink.  Paul also had a bicycle he could ride around town, but he had to buy it with his own money earned delivering papers as his parents could not afford to buy him one.       

 

On the farm, children had to be a bit more creative with their activities.  Toys were often not available, as children lived so far from town and toys cost too much money, so children received things such as oranges and popcorn balls for Christmas.  The toys they did have were often homemade by their fathers and could also serve them in their work such as a wagon or a sled.  Some children did have a few store bought toys as a special gift.   Edward, who grew up in Nodaway County, Missouri, had a prized tricycle that he rode from one side of the house to another.  He also played with less glamourous toys such as rolling a hoop down his lane with a stick.   

 

If children did not have some common toys such as dolls, board games, and kites, reading would constitute as fun.  When the weather cooperated, the children entertained themselves outside by skating, walking in the woods, and watching the men work in the field.  Of course, the older one got on the farm, the less amount of time they had to play as boys could only play after dark when the work was done.