The Diaries of Our Youth

"Had the goofiest assembly today. I almost died when the teacher came in and said that he supposed we were talking about the same thing that the boys had been talking about. If only he knew!"
-Thelma Plaine, 1933

"This morning I had nothing better to do, so I read The Life Story of Abe Lincoln. I read it because I couldn't find any comics to read."
- Sunny Plaine, 1963

"Here I am at camp. Camp hasn't exactly started yet, and I guess I've been here for half an hour. I'm not sure because I can't find the purple watch Mom was supposed to pack."
- Lauren Schlenger, 1993

Sixty years separate these diaries of a grandmother, daughter and granddaughter - my mom, myself, and my now 23-year old. But would you think it was 60 if you weren't reading the dates?

Diaries are time capsules that remind us that we all were once children, sharing the same sorts of experiences that all children share. Evidence of our youth, those infamous diaries, don't often survive into adulthood. Embarrassed by our thoughts, dreams, indiscretions, or even just poor handwriting, we frequently toss them aside as easily as an outgrown pair of jeans. And what a shame that can be!

Of all the touchstones linking us to days gone by, diaries are the most riveting. After all, they describe, in our own words, exactly what it was like to attend school assemblies, live in our bedrooms, and go to summer camp. First love, heartbreak, bad grades, special teachers. Small triumphs, larger ones, wishes coming true. History unfolding: "…I just can't believe that President Kennedy is dead! It's not possible! He was so young! It's not fair!!" (11/22/63). And the precious mundane details of everyday life: "…School news - Gym: I have 3 minuses as of now. 2 for skipping showers and one for forgetting my socks." (2/27/65).

Diaries, journals, notebooks and scrapbooks all make it onto my list of true essentials. To me, the long-ago thoughts of my family are more valuable than their set of monogrammed silver.

My mom only kept one diary that I know of -- a three month long, pocket-sized version as part of pledging a sorority in high school. There were no deep, dark secrets; just the fascinating minutia of teen-age obsessions such as clothes-shopping and going to the movies: "…Got up at 11:00 this morning. Fooled around until 1:00 trying on summer clothes which just didn't fit. Went to the movies and saw "Broadway Bad" with Joan Blondell."(4/11/33).

My 1963's version: "…Mom and I went shopping today and ate at Liberty Pharmacy. I got the cutest outfits in Mitchell's, for school. They're really sharp. And then we went to the movies to see "Flipper". (8/17/63) My entries do get more melodramatic with age, and I have to admit that I've been tempted to get rid of them more than once. But then I remember my mother's story of how she threw out her older sister's diaries when her sister got engaged. She was trying to be "helpful" by sparing her sister the possibility that her future husband would read about her former loves. Her sister was not amused.

I'm so glad that I saved mine. There was a time when Lauren was a moody adolescent and was convinced that I could never understand how she was feeling. I pulled out a diary from my own Misunderstood Period and read to her a rant about how my parents just didn't "get it". In that moment she accepted that I really did remember what it was like to be 13.

A few words of caution here: Decide which memorabilia you're comfortable sharing, and which you'd rather not make public after you're gone. That's one of the reasons it's so important to re-visit your Stuff while you can still make good decisions about its disposition -- No overwhelming job for your heirs, and no unpleasant discoveries for them, either.

One more entry, from my diary of October, 1966: "…I borrowed Terri's Turtles album and it's fantastic! One of the songs, "Eve of Destruction", even though it's old, still makes you stop and think. I wonder what the world's gonna be like when I read this 25 years from now, if it's still around, that is. Will the Viet Nam War, protest songs, demonstrations, draft-card burnings and all that be passé?..."

25 years from now…I still wonder.