Last week I was chatting on the Retroist Discord and someone mentioned that their childhood friend had a waterbed. While not as popular as they once were, waterbeds, which are beds where the mattress is a giant bag of water, are still pretty well-known.
I was the token kid with a waterbed. Which is a bit odd because back in the late 80s, my family was not wealthy by any measure. My toy collection was mostly hand me downs. My clothes and shoes were never name brands. And we only had a VCR because my father used it for work.
For some strange reason, our local video rental shop also doubled up as a furniture store - one central counter with two very separate sides of the showroom floor. My routine at the time was to pick my video early and then wander over the the waterbeds and have a long lie down. When Mum came to get me, I asked if I could have it. This wasn’t completely out of the blue, I would often ask for all kinds of things when out. But on that particular day I struck gold! Mum agreed on the spot, went and spoke to the sales guy and arranged for delivery. I don’t know where she found the money and how she could have justified the purchase. But I do remember my Dad getting a bit upset about it when he got home from work when I excitedly told him about my new bed.
That bed got me so much millage with any guests that came over. The first thing I’d do if a new friend came over, was show them the bed. I have a photo somewhere of a birthday party of mine where at least 5 kids were on my bed at once smiling for the camera.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The thermostat was very easy to bump. Many a night, I went to go to bed only to find the mattress was stone cold. It didn’t matter if it was the hottest night in the middle of summer, you couldn’t sleep on it like that. It took about a day to heat up, so that meant a night on the lounge.
So who knows why I became a kid with a waterbed. Perhaps my Mum who also didn’t grow up with much, wanted to give me some luxury. She can’t really remember now. Whatever the reason, it was a great part of my childhood and for that I’ll always be in her debt.
I was the token kid with a waterbed. Which is a bit odd because back in the late 80s, my family was not wealthy by any measure. My toy collection was mostly hand me downs. My clothes and shoes were never name brands. And we only had a VCR because my father used it for work.
For some strange reason, our local video rental shop also doubled up as a furniture store - one central counter with two very separate sides of the showroom floor. My routine at the time was to pick my video early and then wander over the the waterbeds and have a long lie down. When Mum came to get me, I asked if I could have it. This wasn’t completely out of the blue, I would often ask for all kinds of things when out. But on that particular day I struck gold! Mum agreed on the spot, went and spoke to the sales guy and arranged for delivery. I don’t know where she found the money and how she could have justified the purchase. But I do remember my Dad getting a bit upset about it when he got home from work when I excitedly told him about my new bed.
That bed got me so much millage with any guests that came over. The first thing I’d do if a new friend came over, was show them the bed. I have a photo somewhere of a birthday party of mine where at least 5 kids were on my bed at once smiling for the camera.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The thermostat was very easy to bump. Many a night, I went to go to bed only to find the mattress was stone cold. It didn’t matter if it was the hottest night in the middle of summer, you couldn’t sleep on it like that. It took about a day to heat up, so that meant a night on the lounge.
So who knows why I became a kid with a waterbed. Perhaps my Mum who also didn’t grow up with much, wanted to give me some luxury. She can’t really remember now. Whatever the reason, it was a great part of my childhood and for that I’ll always be in her debt.