You Know You Are Old When

[Oaktree]

My nieces son came over, ignorant little punk, and he made fun of my dinosaur sound system.
"Nobody listens to music like that anymore."
My stereo listening room is 24'x32' with 12' ceilings.
Top of the line equipment with Monitor Audio Gold speakers. 2 pairs of front mains, centre and 2 pairs of rears with a sub woofer.
The amp puts out over 200 watts per channel all the way around.

Yeah, a sound system like that was pretty much standard equipment in any single guy's place in the 70s or 80s. A shame that today you can hardly give that stuff away. An Alexa just doesn't cut it.

 

[Oaktree]

I swear, when I tell some stories of how my parents punished me, could sound like child abuse in todays times. Reality is I never considered myself abused, and what I got I deserved. Ironcially enough, I loved my parents dearly and I know they felt the same in return.

While I did grow up in an environment that by pretty much any definition would be considered abusive, no one really thought much about it back then. I just assumed every family was that way, and/or maybe I really was a rotten kid...wasn't until I was an adult did I discover that this was not the case.

 

[MossRoad]

Oh, I got that to.

My dad's famous line... "there are two ways you can take it, stand there like a man and take it, or run around the house like a chicken with your head cut off, but either way, you're going to get it".

From what I remember, I generally ran around like a chicken with his head cut off

His other famous line... "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out of this world" LOL

I swear, when I tell some stories of how my parents punished me, could sound like child abuse in todays times. Reality is I never considered myself abused, and what I got I deserved. Ironcially enough, I loved my parents dearly and I know they felt the same in return.

I only got it from my dad one time. Messing around in church. He told me to stop. I didn't. He told me again, and that if I didn't stop, he'd take me outside and give me a spanking. So I looked right at him and did it again.

Dad was a man of his words.

I thought the congregation was going to give him a standing ovation when he brought me back in, me head-down and sniffling, his hand on my shoulder guiding me gently back to my seat.

I'd guess I was maybe 4-5 years old at the time.

 

[Sigarms]

While I did grow up in an environment that by pretty much any definition would be considered abusive, no one really thought much about it back then. I just assumed every family was that way, and/or maybe I really was a rotten kid...wasn't until I was an adult did I discover that this was not the case.

That is a whole other discussion.

Having been licenced foster parents and actually adopting both our boys through our local children's home (due to termination of parental rights) and having witnessed what can go on in families home's, there are a lot of horror stories we know of per what kids may think being normal behavior.

I always joke about my parents "corporal punishment", and yes, sometimes I did get a spanking, and yes my mom did hit me with a wooden spoon one time, but I can honestly only recall 4 times where "I got it", and on two occasions where I remember why, I can honestly say I deserved it. I was never beaten as a kid, but I knew a swat. Even remember the swat with Mr. Brills shop class in high school with his home made paddle. I deserved that swat from Mr. Brill as well as I was dicking around with something I shouldn't have been dicking around with.

My one son (after he was adopted) once told me that I could spank him (because I was threatning to do for him not listening) because he was used to his biological father hitting him so many times with his belt that it didn't even phase him anymore.

That's where I learned that punishment is not so much physical, but mental.

 

[Sigarms]

I only got it from my dad one time. Messing around in church. He told me to stop. I didn't. He told me again, and that if I didn't stop, he'd take me outside and give me a spanking. So I looked right at him and did it again.

Dad was a man of his words.

I thought the congregation was going to give him a standing ovation when he brought me back in, me head-down and sniffling, his hand on my shoulder guiding me gently back to my seat.

I'd guess I was maybe 4-5 years old at the time.

An electrician I know told me pretty much that EXACT same story with his own son.

As he was taking is son out of church, his boy screamed "someone save me!". He said it didn't help his boy LOL

I think I can remember 4 times where "I got it". The reality is looking back as myself as a kid, I put my parents through h e double toothpicks at times and I really wasn't a "listener" at times. I never considered myself abused.

My wife always said my father and myself issue is that we were too much alike. Last 4 years when he was living with us until his death I never realized exactly how right she was.

What's interesting though is he treated his grand kids differently than me growing up in his house. I have the same feeling I'll do the same LOL

 

[Alan46]

Another great early detective show was Peter Gunn. It was a 1950's early James Bond style show and Gunn always seem to come out on top. Herschel Bernardi played a fledgling cop ad he showed up in other shows over the years.
Gunn was kind of a "most interesting man in the world" kind of guy for the 50's.

I still listen to the Peter Gunn theme on my iPad! Does that mean I’m old?

 

[Alan46]

You know you are old if your remember watching Mel Brooks' Get Smart (with Don Adams) as the bumbling spy and sexy partner Barbara Feldon

Was Don Adam’s in that show?

 

[Sigarms]

You know you are old if your remember watching Mel Brooks' Get Smart (with Don Adams) as the bumbling spy and sexy partner Barbara Feldon

When I hear of Mel Brooks, I always think of Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstien. Classics my wife doesn't care for LOL

 

[orezok]

I was the 5th son (no girls) and by the time they got to me I think my parents were worn out. The never hit me, but my brothers had stories.

 

[bigtiller]

I was the oldest of 3. Some would say "the practice child". Because of me getting swatted, it felt like both parents could have been big league ballers.