The best time to be a kid

[deerefan]

Let me clear up a couple things. In no way do I want to revisit some of the behaviors of that time period- ie racism, police brutality etc. I would like to have been a kid, 8-12 or so. Those things arent really top of mind of a kid. Would like the adventure of discovering new things, being part of the muscle car era, etc.

 

[deerefan]

I was born in 1938; about half the time, until I graduated from high school in 1956, we lived in a house that either had no running water, (2) had no hot water, (3) was heated either by a pot belly wood stove or a kerosene stove, and Mom cooked on a kerosene or wood stove. She heated water for wash day in a huge cast iron kettle, with wood as fuel. She had an old wringer style washing machine, and hung the clothes out on the line. It a whole day to do the washing, and then there was the ironing.

You bathed in a galvanized wash tub, in water heated over the kitchen stove. I pumped the water by hand myself from a well in the front yard, and carried the bucket into the kitchen. We had a water dipper to drink from, and a pan to wash our hands in. I have seen ice floating on the bucket on a cold winter morning, to give you an idea how cold it got at night. For years, I had a quarter sized scar on my stomach where I got too close to the pot bellied stove after a bath on a cold winter night. A trip to the bathroom was a trip to the outhouse.

But our attitude was good; my Dad and Mom were scrupulously honest, and it stuck with me. They were also proud, such that they would have had to be sick or disabled to take any kind of welfare or hand out. My Dad was a tough man, sometimes cruel, but he could do darn near anything, fix darn near anything and drive or operate any piece of equipment made by mankind. They instilled self reliance and the value of an education. We were terribly poor at times, but people were mostly good and we enjoyed life...and I think it was enhanced by the struggle.

Then there were the cars...they symbolized a lot more then than they do now; I'll never forget the thrill of seeing my first '55 Bel Air...and the thrill of getting one of my own...but "cars" is a whole 'nother story.

The cars and tractors/machinery are some of the things that really interest me.

 

[MossRoad]

Let me clear up a couple things. In no way do I want to revisit some of the behaviors of that time period- ie racism, police brutality etc. I would like to have been a kid, 8-12 or so. Those things arent really top of mind of a kid. Would like the adventure of discovering new things, being part of the muscle car era, etc.

Oh, well, in that case, I did enjoy growing up in the 60s and 70s. It was much simpler then and I could go outside and run wild. Can't let your kids do that anymore in the city or suburbs. Probably can in the country still to some extent, but only in summer, not during the school year. I often wish I could have let my kids run wild more.

 

[mjarrels]

And remember when cops walked a beat, didn't ride around in $80,000 cars!

mark

 

[DABSGT]

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

TripleR did you grow up in Chicago? Sounds like Washington Today.

I grew up in the 60's and 70"s there were no locked doors and friends would use the back door at will. People took responsibility for there actions and parents for their children.

 

[bcp]

This week will someday be someone's "good old days" when things were simple and life was easy.


Bruce

 

[MossRoad]

And remember when cops walked a beat, didn't ride around in $80,000 cars!

mark

What town is that? Ours cost more like mid-twenties.

 

[deerefan]

This week will someday be someone's "good old days" when things were simple and life was easy.

Bruce

Very true, hopefully for my kids.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Mabel Topping, my 6th grade teacher. Old Maid and hated the world I think. Anyways, there were two nice kids, boy and girl, in class that had learning disabilities of some sort that would be recognized and worked with these days. We didn't have special education classes then either.

Ms. Topping would have those two standing up in front of the class alone, in tears, trying to do something they just couldn't. I don't know if she thought she could "inspire" them in that fashion or what. Even at the time, I knew that wasn't right but I wasn't mature enough to really understand why.

I can relate. But, I would rather talk about something that happened many years ago.

My oldest sister happens to have a pretty high IQ. Her boy friend however, perhaps due to circumstanses, quit school in his seventh grade. I might have been 7 or 8 but I recall overhearing the boyfriend telling my grandfather (that set of grandparents were "hard headed Pennsylvania Germans" and did not approve) that he would live to "urinate" on my grandfathers grave, LOL!

Still married, my BRO-IN-LAW did 30 years or so in road construction reaching supervisor. They own several properites, etc, etc. I don't know if the Bro ever followed up on his threat or not but I will never forget that day!

 

[J F]

My brother and I grew up in the 70's pretty much (me born in '67, he in '69)...we've both always felt we grew up in a great time, had it "swell" (60's, I know :laughing.

We had parents that cared about us, even through a divorce, food on the table, fun with friends (running our azzes off outside all the time), and a roof over our head. "Homework" was hammered into our heads, before we could "go out and play".

In my instance, I knew we weren't "rich", by a long shot...but neither was anyone else in my circle, so I don't think any of else felt like we were missing out on much, and most of the kids in my schools were pretty much the same.

All that being said...it IS a very much changed world from that....I don't know if it's better or worse, but it's scary contemplating having kids with all that is so very different from "what was"...even just 20-30 years ago. The "digital age" has brought a lot of perils along with all the ingenious stuff...."sexting" ?? Anyone have to talk to their kids about that in 70's, or 80's...or 90's? And all the rest that comes with our "instant" society.

I do love HD TV though...even though my Falcons are just not having a good year. :laughing: