I have always felt that I have enjoyed every year of my life so far to what I felt were my best efforts.

There is no promise from one year until the next we will be here to experience a year better than all the ones that we have had so far. Sure there are moments in a year or even a day that aren’t good but in my view, there are always more good moments than the bad ones every day. But lately, I have been looking at the years past and I’ve come to the conclusion that I felt there was one year that just outdid all of my years so far. That would be the year I turned 16.

My 16th year came in 1965. Probably no matter what age you were at that time it was a great time to be alive. When I turned 16 I of course got my driver’s license. This is one of the big steps we take in our lives and I was no exception to the rule of savoring the moment that I became mobile! It seems that when you can leave the family unit and say I’ll be back, that independence moves into your mindset. It did mine for sure. To go wherever with whoever for as long as I wanted (if it ended before curfew) to whatever I wanted to go to. I’m not trying to come across as overbearing about this but think of it. This was the first time those decisions had moved into my realm of deciding. That year I sure felt like an adult.

I had been operating the family farms and renting others for the past two years solely on my own and had built enough confidence that when mobilization came about I was positive I could handle it and it just felt right. Now with all this responsibility came some showing off. When I went to town I, of course, drove the miracle mile but I did so with a big ole dollar cigar so folks could see I was being much more mature now. (Sure I was.) In the summer I would take a carload of guys over to StarLite Drive-In to watch a doubleheader and not have to be back home until 1 a.m. If I was lucky on the weekends I would get a date and take her to the Starlite or the Lake Drive-In. If a date didn’t develop I would meet up with the other guys my age (16) at the pool hall and shot some pool or play the pinball machines until we thought of something to do or somewhere to go. That didn’t always happen and that was when I went home before curfew time and score some good points for times when I might run past the curfew. Ah to come and go as I wished and not be questioned by parents was an experience I can’t begin to explain but if you went through your 16th year you surely understand.

Yes, I was 16 and almost an adult. Independent and master of my own existence. At least that was my thought most of the time. Now I did expect mom to prepare my three meals a day and yes I did look to her to also see to it I had clean clothes to wear. If I got down sick I naturally expected my mom to take care of me. But as for my dad, I really didn’t ask him for help. Except for the farm equipment I was using and maybe he should pay the repair bills on that equipment. Why shouldn’t he carry insurance on all the equipment as after all he did own it? These items are true trivia as I was in charge and almost an adult. I mean when I turned twenty-one I would be able to vote just like my parents. So was there really any difference?

Maybe among the adults, there was thought there was a difference but when I got uptown or back in school the kids my age saw it my way for certain. As a matter of fact, the kids in school younger than me who had yet to turn sixteen looked up to me and all the rest of us upper-classmen who were 16 or older. Shoot, I was popular I think! Let me mention right here that a person must self-promote themself. I made sure that when school was in I parked my car in front of the high school and across the street from the restaurant so more kids could see me and my set of wheels. In the evenings I made certain that when I first gassed up at Clingers’ Sohio I hung out longer than was needed so the others driving by could see I was in town. Last but not least was that cigar. Even though I would feel a little ill from its smoke it did show just how old I looked. (Sure it did)

As I said in the beginning I have tried to enjoy my years on this planet. But I still come back to the year I got a taste of adulthood. I dealt with bigger decisions and yet I still had my parents there to catch me. Just like a safety net under the high wire act. I tried to act like I wasn’t aware of this part of what was happening but deep down I knew. As much as I enjoyed that year and all the fun I had I now look back and realize that if my parents hadn’t been so supportive and restrained their selves from stepping in at the wrong time this probably wouldn’t have been so great for me. Fortunately, they had raised Peg and Ben ahead of me and understood their role in my rearing very well in my opinion. So at 16 I cruised the miracle mile in my car and had the blast of my life!

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Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. He may be reached at [email protected].