Our Gang:  Growing up on Barnesdale Road

Our family moved from Jamaica Plain to Natick when we were very young. Our new neighborhood was filled with kids our age. We were quickly accepted and became part of the gang. Our parents weren’t worried about how or where or with whom we occupied ourselves; they just encouraged us to get outdoors. We took great advantage of this freedom, exploring the woods behind our house, playing tennis and tackle football at the elementary school, and enjoying whiffle ball, badminton, and croquet in the backyard. We got dirty, ripped up our clothes, and were covered in bruises, but we didn’t complain. We were raised to be tough. There came a day when each of us moved away from the neighborhood gang, but up until junior high, this was our world. Read on, and remember what it was like to be a child.