In honor of General Hospital’s 47th anniversary, I wanted to share my first memories of the show. While what I am writing may seem to be funny it is true to the best of my recollections of my life prior to the age of eight. It is not an April fool’s day joke.
One day after elementary school, I got off the bus and went to my nextdoor neighbor’s home as my parents were both working. The family had three daughters all of whom were older than me. The younger two babysat a neighbor who was a year ahead of me in school regularly, so there was no issue with me staying there. They were all devoted General Hospital viewers.
As an excited little kid, who was totally overjoyed in hanging out with the older girls I would not keep my mouth shut. I blabbed incessantly about real life, while General Hospital was airing and drove them all crazy. Even as an adult, I sometimes due this or the exact opposite which is just getting extremely quiet, trying to act cool and not making any eye contact. Both of these reactions horrify me.
Anyway so they finally got me quiet, by explaining how they wanted to watch General Hospital. I think what would have helped a lot is if they had explained the program, characters and relationships before the show started or even within the commercial breaks.
Hushing though didn’t exactly work. Imagine a little girl, with braids no less, sitting on the floor watching General Hospital with utter confusion, doing her best to not talk to ask what is happening and why. Imagine then this same little girl, feeling a tickle in her throat, holding her breath, to keep from upsetting everyone as she has gotten the hiccups.
Hiccup
Hiccup
Hiccup
Eventually I couldn’t hold in these hiccups and I was about to burst. Once the older girls realized what was going on, they apologized and told me that I didn’t need to be that quiet. It wasn’t my fault that I had the hiccups, and that kind of interruption couldn’t be helped.
So that’s my first real memory of watching General Hospital. I have no idea how much of the program I remember from those days. There are some characters I knew by name years later, so some of it must have stuck. All those years ago, I would have never imagined I’d become an extreme soap viewer.
Happy Anniversary General Hospital, if it wasn’t for that show I wouldn’t be able to share this slightly embarrassing childhood story.
No comments:
Post a Comment