Can newborns and toddlers possibly remember how their parents decorated their rooms, once they have reached adult hood. While I do not think they did, I wish they had. I can state unequivocably that if you give a teenager a room decorated for an infant, that teen will remember that room for the rest of their lives. Here is what my room looked like when I was twelve and thirteen and fourteen and fifteen. Just a few months before my sixteenth birthday, we made the move at last. At that time (in 1964), no amount of foot stamping or sulking could make your parents re-decorate your room if they did not feel so inclined, at least in my family.
The room was decorated for a small boy sometime around World War II, I had the privilege of living in this room for three long years and seven months. The walls were painted a pale green, reminiscent of hospital wards. Alongside a single wall (most likely the location of the infant's crib, I shuddered always to think), was a peeling border with a faded choo-choo train design. The hat worn by the locomotive's conductor was inscribed in French with words I had memorized. I always thought of them during my French classes. My desk had to be placed in the corner of the room as a result of the rooms design. (a desk is about the size of a baby's crib). As I did my homework, I was forced to gaze at the flaking beige locomotive while its conductor smiled at me from the train car. He wore a blue stripped uniform with a red kerchief tied around his neck. Do you think the little brat for whom the room was decorated remembers it as clearly as I do? Again, I doubt it.
The window frames of the two large windows in the room were painted red - a horrible, orange-red that clashed with the sickly green walls. But they did match the curtains. I will always be thankful that those curtains were so faded, and even ripped in a couple of places, that I didn't have to live with them for very long. They were made of a red cotton fabric with a print design of little boy figures all wearing blue sailor suits and knee-high white socks and running behind some kind of wheel, holding a stick I don't know the name if that toy. I hope they made the baby boy in his crib smile or fall asleep right away or something because the little boys were also all grinning as madly as the train-conductor. They made ME want to slap them.
After coming home one afternoon, I discovered the curtains had disappeared. My mother got rid of them. She swapped them for draperies that weren't either torn or badly faded. If I remember correctly, they were made of fabric that was striped green and white. I dont remember them as clearly as the original baby room curtains.
At the time that I had kids of my own years ago, I never decorated their bedrooms. My two sons shared a room, so when I asked them, when they got old enough, how they wanted the room to look it did not go well. In fact, I did listen to their advice. The six year wanted bright red walls (the colors of his favorite soccer club). He got one bright red wall, by his bed. The eleven year old wanted an orange wall and posters of NBA players (Utah Jazz, I think). He received an orange-colored wall and poster pictures. White was the color of the two walls that remained. Even though it was the ugliest I've ever seen, the boys loved their room and entertaining their buddies in it. - 15252
The room was decorated for a small boy sometime around World War II, I had the privilege of living in this room for three long years and seven months. The walls were painted a pale green, reminiscent of hospital wards. Alongside a single wall (most likely the location of the infant's crib, I shuddered always to think), was a peeling border with a faded choo-choo train design. The hat worn by the locomotive's conductor was inscribed in French with words I had memorized. I always thought of them during my French classes. My desk had to be placed in the corner of the room as a result of the rooms design. (a desk is about the size of a baby's crib). As I did my homework, I was forced to gaze at the flaking beige locomotive while its conductor smiled at me from the train car. He wore a blue stripped uniform with a red kerchief tied around his neck. Do you think the little brat for whom the room was decorated remembers it as clearly as I do? Again, I doubt it.
The window frames of the two large windows in the room were painted red - a horrible, orange-red that clashed with the sickly green walls. But they did match the curtains. I will always be thankful that those curtains were so faded, and even ripped in a couple of places, that I didn't have to live with them for very long. They were made of a red cotton fabric with a print design of little boy figures all wearing blue sailor suits and knee-high white socks and running behind some kind of wheel, holding a stick I don't know the name if that toy. I hope they made the baby boy in his crib smile or fall asleep right away or something because the little boys were also all grinning as madly as the train-conductor. They made ME want to slap them.
After coming home one afternoon, I discovered the curtains had disappeared. My mother got rid of them. She swapped them for draperies that weren't either torn or badly faded. If I remember correctly, they were made of fabric that was striped green and white. I dont remember them as clearly as the original baby room curtains.
At the time that I had kids of my own years ago, I never decorated their bedrooms. My two sons shared a room, so when I asked them, when they got old enough, how they wanted the room to look it did not go well. In fact, I did listen to their advice. The six year wanted bright red walls (the colors of his favorite soccer club). He got one bright red wall, by his bed. The eleven year old wanted an orange wall and posters of NBA players (Utah Jazz, I think). He received an orange-colored wall and poster pictures. White was the color of the two walls that remained. Even though it was the ugliest I've ever seen, the boys loved their room and entertaining their buddies in it. - 15252