Play is certainly one of the main ways in which children learn and develop. Importantly, it helps to build self worth by giving a child a sense of his or her own abilities.. and to feel good about themselves. Very often, because it's fun, children become so absorbed in what they are doing, they are perceived to have entered their own world. The world of play.

Do you remember those beautiful warm and sunny spring days of your childhood? 

Awaking to the sound of birdsong while the air still carried a hint of night’s cold bite?

 I was five years old and eager to get downstairs first and grab the milk from the doorstep. We were still in the era of the milkman, back then. The guy who delivered fresh milk each day, according to the note left out the day before. He was also the guy blamed for any offspring who didn’t look like the rest of the family, poor bloke.

It was important to be first to the milk as it meant you were allowed the cream off the top. What was left of it, that is; after the sparrows had pecked through the foil. I swear they knew there was more cream in the gold top bottles. Maybe back in those days the silver top was half fat or something. I could find out, I suppose. Anyway, I digress.

After a hurried breakfast of cornflakes, creamy milk and as much sugar as I could get away with sprinkling on top, we’d scrape our chairs away from the table...eager to get outside. I say ‘we’. I had three brothers; hence the competition over the fresh milk. Dave didn’t have much chance though; being just a baby at the time. 

“Oh, not so fast”, my mum would say; halting our escape. “...back upstairs and do your teeth before you go out, you two”. My accomplice at the time was another brother Andy, two years younger.

I remember that house and Air Force camp particularly well. Very fond memories. My dad did a year’s unaccompanied service in Aden, at the time; meaning my mum would have to look after her four boys on her own. Sadly, a practice run for when my parents split up seven years later. Anyway, moving on...

Our house was in a dream location. Swing park and playing field out the back; plenty of friends in the neighbourhood ... and the beautiful Bluebell Woods, across the quiet road, at the front.

Teeth finished as quickly as possible, thud, thud, thud...we’d run downstairs, shaking our hands; no time to dry them. Through the house, past mum who was probably tending to Dave; or doing laundry ..or one of a hundred things she had to do each day.

The park was small, fairly makeshift.. but our favourite piece of playground equipment was the slide. Not a big one ..but big enough for our little bums to slide down fast; if you polished it. Long trousers were better, bare skin acted as a brake. Of course, young boys had to wear shorts and so we’d pull our legs up to minimise contact.

 We’d play for hours. Interrupting our games when our stomachs got the better of us, resuming when told it wasn’t lunchtime yet. Kids are always hungry.

This particular sunny day I was practicing my spitting skills. Not a party trick to impress the ladies, I’ll grant you...but I was getting rather good at it. Trouble was, I over committed my efforts to spit directly onto a particular stone or some such. I leant out over the side of the slide...further, further, further still....Woah!!...so far, I fell off it. 

I don’t recall all the details but my mum recounts that a workman saw events unfold and lifted me carefully off the stony ground and carried me the short distance to my house. “Better get the doctor to this one Mrs”, he helpfully suggested. So, she went to the phone box after tucking me in bed and waited for said doctor to arrive.

No idea how long it took for him to make his ‘emergency’ house call but I think I’d recovered fairly rapidly.

On entering my room, mum and the doctor saw my little pyjama clad bottom just this side of my open bedroom window; the top half of my body hanging out ...as far as I dared. Oh dear! I was spitting onto the porch below. Lesson learnt? Maybe...but I hadn’t finished my game.

“I think he’s recovered well enough”, the doctor said ... with a rue smile.