Often times the ratio of boys to girls was unequal-falling
either way.
The parties throughout the year usually
began between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. and lasted
till around 10:00 p.m. when the parents at whose
house the party was being held or another "volunteer"
present would drive the kids home.
For the sake of honors and awards the Chic-a-dee
Campfire girls planned parties and hayrides. The
boys were not quite as enthusiastic as we hoped
they would be, but they came and soon couples
developed.
My (a boy) first date was in the sixth grade. It
was a group affair, where a group of Girl Scouts
decided to have a roller skating party with boys
invited.
I didn't know how to roller skate very
well, and to make matters worse, I didn't like
the girls. I was finally teased into going
along. The mothers of the girls picked the boys
up, took us to the roller rink, and took us home
again.
I remember making out invitation lists for parties
trying to invite the fellows in whom each
of us was interested.
Even with all the planning,
we never paired off except by more frequent
attention given by a favorite during games
like 'Wink 'um' and 'Clap-in-clap-out.'
Preadolescent boys, in particular, have difficulty defining or ac
cepting the nature of the behavior called for at a mixed party. Rough
house play may be more satisfying to them than passive and intimate
games.
The girls finally fought back which made us very
happy. I think that the main reason we acted
that way was because we didn't know how to act
with girls. All the boys agreed that it had been
lots of fun.
The entry into junior high school introduces the preadolescent into
a new and more adult world socially. A school population can be influ
enced even by just one peer leader who is interested in dating.
When I entered junior high school, I (a boy) met
many older fellows who had already begun to take
an interest in girls. They talked about their
dates and told me how much fun I was missing....
As I remember there weren't many fellows
who were on the dance floor. They were all
in a group in a corner, and that is where I
ended up too.
We told jokes, tested our strength
on the bars that stood along the walls, and
teased any fellow who dared to ask a girl to
dance.
There was a small amount of dancing and a large
amount of games. This consisted of embarrassing
things for me (a boy). They were Wink 'um, passing
lifesavers with tooth-picks, etc.
There was one girl in particular who was mature
physically in the fifth grade and who had ideas
of dating before the rest of us did.
She was a
very strong leader and encouraged the rest of us
in dating. She seemed to know all the facts of
life and she took advantage of our curiosity at
this age and told us all she knew.