I am reading the proof copy of my mother’s diaries. It’s a single edition, printed for the sole purpose of editing. This is my chance to make final revisions before it goes to print. (For newcomers to this blog, I am publishing the diaries my mother kept when she was a high school student and a young wife in the 1930’s.)

How many times have I read this diary? It feels like about eighty million. This time, though, holding the physical book, I was forced to read it through the reader’s eyes. I began to have doubts; perhaps this was not as interesting as I have thought. I discovered that there is such a thing as “pre-publication” jitters.

However, I kept reading. And then she made me laugh out loud, and I was back to loving this diary again. 

The middle of the book, I expect, will be the favourite part for most readers. She is dating boys, boys, and more boys. Here are excerpts from a typical week in the summer of 1936;

…Thursday, I went to the dance with Ken and had a lot of fun;

…Friday, I went to Grand Bend with Neil. I had a lot of fun and like him beaucoup;

…Saturday, I went to the Bend with Neil again;

…Sunday, Ken came out and we went for a drive and had a lot of fun;

…Sunday night Marg & I went to the mid-nite dance with Phil & Jim Stevenson;

…Last night Jim Scott took me to the dance, believe it or not.

You get the picture.

I have found the culture of dating amongst her peer group fascinating. They all stepped out with each other and thought nothing of it. In my day, once you were going out together, that was it, you were not going out with anyone else. There was no “playing the field,” as they seemed to in her time.

Some of these boys became more serious crushes for her but she continued to date others in spite of developing feelings for someone in particular. Some boys she tossed aside, and sometimes she was the one who was tossed. She thought one boy acted like a two year old because he was jealous of her talking to others. He was scratched from the list.

I wish I had had that kind of dating experience. She does not always spell it out on the page, but readers can see how, in the midst of all the fun, the distractions of dances and beach parties, she was sorting out who she was comfortable with and what she really wanted.

Which begs the question–how will modern readers compare her dating experience with their own? How has dating changed throughout the decades? Has the prevalence of online dating been a positive influence? And what about the impact of the 1960’s sexual revolution, and birth control? How much does modern dating contribute to establishing long-term relationships?

Spoiler alert, she married Jim Milne. He unlocked the key to her heart by bringing her books. He was no dancer, he was not one to “move with the crowd,” but he enjoyed reading as much as she did. That mutual interest would have appealed to her more than any shenanigans at a mid-nite dance.

I loved her diary the first time I read it. Even though I have “opening night jitters,” so to speak, I still say it’s a sweet read.

Next weekend is the Canadian Thanksgiving. There will be no post; I will be enjoying family and turkey dinners, perhaps in that order. Smiles.

Keep your joy.

Anne Milne is an every Sunday blogger, unless it’s a holiday weekend. Or summertime.