Kindergarten Blanket

      Before starting kindergarten, we knew that there would be nap-time in the daily schedule. Kindergarten was only half a day back then, the morning half – so I do not know, now, how a nap fit in to such a small time frame. We were required to bring our own blanket – these were more like mats to lie upon rather than security blankets. And my grandmother made one for me – extra special – and of course I still have it. Since it is personalized with my name – there is no point in passing it along to anyone else – so it stays in my closet – folded in a bag.

The kindergarten blanket made by my Grandmother

     When I was in school – from kindergarten right through college, I guess I took school supplies for granted. My clothes were not particularly the trendiest – and we certainly did not get whole new wardrobes each summer for the next school year. But pencils and lined paper? Scissors? Even the briefcases that were required by our sixth grade teacher – my parents provided all of those, and it never occurred to me that those basic school needs might not be met due to a shortage of money.

     It was not until many years later that I heard from my parents how much they had hated school as kids – especially my father. Both their families were suffering mightily from the effects of the Great Depression – something I had known about when younger. They both felt very self conscious at school for not having the things other kids did. Mom felt weird in her homemade clothes and with her home-baked cookies (really!) and Dad did not like having to ask classmates to borrow pencil and paper on a daily basis. Horrible memories!

     So the specially made blanket with my name on it as I began my school career was and still is a symbol of my folks having made it – from their humble beginnings – they had a child going to kindergarten with decent supplies!

24 20150124 The Kindergarten Blanket