The best time to be a kid

[deerefan]

I have to admit, I was born in 1978. That being said, my heart is in the 50s and 60s. I love the music, cars, tractors etc. I am constantly asking my dad questions of how it was to be a kid then and am always left in amazement. I firmly believe my generation was the last "water from a hose" generation. We played outside constantly, kick the can, sports- always emulating our favorite heroes, hunting, fishing, just general mischief. I look back and realize we were the last ones like the kids from the 50s-60s. Albeit, we had tvs and nintendo came along in the late 80s, cutting short some of my buddies outside time. I drive some for my job, passing thru neighborhoods. They look like ghost towns. No kids outside, no neighbors talking. It is very depressing for me, as my memories of childhood are firmly entrenched in being outdoors, "freedom" if you will.
I told my dad the other night that I really wish I could have been a kid during his time (again). He replied, "it wasn't as great as you think- no a.c., no t.v., etc...but we had a lot of fun, 5 cent soda, drive ins, rode our bikes everywhere, drooled over 57 Bel Airs, Impalas, Vettes." Am I missing something? Was this time period not all that great? Just seems like great times....

 

[k0ua]

I have to admit, I was born in 1978. That being said, my heart is in the 50s and 60s. I love the music, cars, tractors etc. I am constantly asking my dad questions of how it was to be a kid then and am always left in amazement. I firmly believe my generation was the last "water from a hose" generation. We played outside constantly, kick the can, sports- always emulating our favorite heroes, hunting, fishing, just general mischief. I look back and realize we were the last ones like the kids from the 50s-60s. Albeit, we had tvs and nintendo came along in the late 80s, cutting short some of my buddies outside time. I drive some for my job, passing thru neighborhoods. They look like ghost towns. No kids outside, no neighbors talking. It is very depressing for me, as my memories of childhood are firmly entrenched in being outdoors, "freedom" if you will.
I told my dad the other night that I really wish I could have been a kid during his time (again). He replied, "it wasn't as great as you think- no a.c., no t.v., etc...but we had a lot of fun, 5 cent soda, drive ins, rode our bikes everywhere, drooled over 57 Bel Airs, Impalas, Vettes." Am I missing something? Was this time period not all that great? Just seems like great times....

Well we had a "heck" of a lot more freedom. We as older children all had guns, but we were a "heck" of a lot safer. As small children we walked long distances to each others houses and did not worry about being abducted or molested. We played all day as children, but it was always outdoors unless it was raining or really cold..And even then sometimes we were outdoors. We played dozens of games that would be considered "too dangerous" today, but we had a lot of fun, and rarely ever got hurt. Maybe kids were smarter in those days, and looked after themselves better
I am not a Kid now, and perhaps don't understand a child's life today, but it seems to me we probably had more fun "back in the day"..

James K0UA

 

[brin]

I have to admit, I was born in 1978. That being said, my heart is in the 50s and 60s. I love the music, cars, tractors etc. I am constantly asking my dad questions of how it was to be a kid then and am always left in amazement. I firmly believe my generation was the last "water from a hose" generation. We played outside constantly, kick the can, sports- always emulating our favorite heroes, hunting, fishing, just general mischief. I look back and realize we were the last ones like the kids from the 50s-60s. Albeit, we had tvs and nintendo came along in the late 80s, cutting short some of my buddies outside time. I drive some for my job, passing thru neighborhoods. They look like ghost towns. No kids outside, no neighbors talking. It is very depressing for me, as my memories of childhood are firmly entrenched in being outdoors, "freedom" if you will.
I told my dad the other night that I really wish I could have been a kid during his time (again). He replied, "it wasn't as great as you think- no a.c., no t.v., etc...but we had a lot of fun, 5 cent soda, drive ins, rode our bikes everywhere, drooled over 57 Bel Airs, Impalas, Vettes." Am I missing something? Was this time period not all that great? Just seems like great times....

deerfan, Funny you post this right now...My grand daughter , who lives next door to us, is turning 16 next week and just the other day she said how much she wished she could have been a kid in the 1950's and '60's....She has watched many of the old TV shows of that era and our home movies as well as our photos from back then...

You are right...things were completely different back then...we had dances every Friday night...sock hops...yes, drive ins...movies and the Drive Ins for fast food...We left our doors open , keys in the car...We did not have any video games, computers and all the tech...etc...If you wanted to make a phone call you had to find a pay phone or go home to make a call....There was not much on TV...newscasts were 15 min. long so everyone spent their time on the front porch or sitting in lawn chairs in their front yard every evening...folks talked to each other ...no email....I could go on forever...but it made me really sad when my grand daughter said she wished she could have grown up then....she is that smart - she sees the difference...it was carefree for kids...it was a time of anything is possible and opportunity...and it can be again but there has to be a complete flush...and a restart if you get my drift.....

 

[creekbend]

I was raised in that ERA. We didn't lock our doors. Most Homes had a front Porch and Family Members and Neighbors would sit on the porch talking and socializing with each other. There were only three TV Stations - ABC, NBC, and CBS. And most everyone had Antennas on their roofs.Even the Middle Class didn't have much "Extra Money", but THEY had each other. Families were closer Knit. During the mid 60's, things started to change. There were RACE Riots and diversity in the Schools. People became more reclusive. MONEY became the Ultimate Goal. People thought that Money and More Money would make them Happy. This was proven wrong. Divorces became commonplace. There is Good and Bad, in every ERA. Just the way, things are.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I grew up in the 50's; married in the 60's and my kids, born in '64 and '68, grew up in the 70's. I wouldn't trade growing up in the 50's for any other time in history; and the one poster is correct, I think my kids had the best of the things we enjoyed in the 50's, but not the poverty. One thing that seems to get little attention, though, is the economy. We were not well-to do; money was hard to come by. We wore worn out clothes, shoes with holes in the soles and drove old beat up cars; but most everyone I knew was in the same boat. It's hard to tell kids now about being on a party line, with a crank telephones that quit working every time it rained; riding the school bus 40 miles one way each morning and evening; and picking up potatoes to make enough money to pay for your senior ring.

I think I posted an essay on this forum a while back, entitled "Shinny", about some of my experiences back then.

Update: Here is the link if anyone is interested:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/rural-living/274826-shinny-semi-pro.html

 

[wolftree]

Perhaps the one thing anyone can do to re-capture the 50s is to put a front porch on your home. Unless your house sits a mile back from the highway, folks will see you out on the porch and stop by to visit. That to me was what much of the 1950s were about.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Perhaps the one thing anyone can do to re-capture the 50s is to put a front porch on your home. Unless your house sits a mile back from the highway, folks will see you out on the porch and stop by to visit. That to me was what much of the 1950s were about.

That worked well for city folks; our nearest neighbor was 3 miles away and across a creek. It got awfully lonely after homework was done; if it hadn't been for an Arthur Godfrey Ukelele, and eventually an old Harmony guitar, I probably would have become a hermit living off the land eating catfish, quail and rabbit.

 

[murphy1244]

On my street in the late 60s we would have 2 or 3 Baseball games going at the same time. We did not lock our doors till about 1977. We would play Kill the Carrier and made Rubber Band Guns.

 

[TripleR]

“Things ain't what they used to be and never were.” Will Rogers

When I was in college in the late 60's early 70's this was referred to as "The Old Oaken Bucket Syndrome" viewing life in only the way we tend to remember it rather than how it really was. Yes, there were many good things I remember as mentioned by others, but I also remember friends who had polio, my older brother died when he was twenty due to a condition that is curable today. I remember "Whites Only" signs. Police could throw your behind in jail or kick your behind with no repercussions. In my county, vote buying was common, machine politics choose who would hold which office and employees "contributed" to the county committee, the two part system was a joke as Democrats went unchallenged. I could go on, but no real need, each time has its good and bad.

 

[Rustyiron]

Cultural decay for sure. But I do appreciate TrippleR's points as well. I am not a religous person, but it seems that the slow & steady attack on worship has taken it's toll on society. And the money thing, too many folks want more than they need requiring mom to work. Mothering can not be hired out to some stranger at day care. It drives me nuts when I hear some (married) woman boasting that she works at a job & takes care of her kids! Try staying at home, taking care, entertaining, teaching.... your kids all day. That's a job. Dropping off & picking them up at the daycare, then Col. Sanders for dinner is not really taking care of your kids. note; see (married) women above, this is not to slam single mom's