I remember

[edicehouse]

My daughters are 6 and 3, and I was thinking how different things are now than when I was that age (I am now 36).

1. You did not have to update status about running to the store.
2. Going to a grocery store was not 3 times a week.
3. 12 year olds did not have a personal phone.
4. 1 phone in the house.
5. 10 minute limit on the phone, cuz there was not call waiting, caller ID, and voicemail.
6. ABC, NBC, & CBS (that was it).
7. Being the remote control....."Eddie come in here" "Yes" "Change the cannel to 10"
8. If I got smacked by my friends mother, hope my grandparents didn't find out.
9. You ate what was on the table. My wife will have 4 different things made for 4 people (and they are not good home cooking).
10. McDonalds was a treat.
11. Chores were physical labor, not just clean your room.
12. You knew how to pile wood.
13. You might not know the final scores for a game for 2 days. I remember camping and the Mets would have a late game, and it was to late to get into the paper the next morning. They would have it the day after that.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

1. If you asked your parents if you could go over to a friends house you didn't ask until chores and homework were done.
2. When you asked you were expected to have your own transportation. The 2 wheeled pedal powered kind.
3. When your 2 wheeled, pedal powered transportation had a flat tire you were expected to at least try and fix it yourself.
4. If you broke a chain your first thought was when was your birthday so you could ask for a chain from your grandparents as a birthday present.

 

[Rick P]

With the exception of 4,5,6 things are still prety much the same here. My wife is requiered to have a cell for work, we dont get ANY form of broacast TV, but I have to admit to tellig Gunther to press "play" on the DVD once in a blue moon.

I honestly dont get parents who act like a kid under the age of 12 is incapible of a little work and small reponsibilites! Gunther has been at least trying to help out since before he could talk! He has had regular chores since the age of 3, loves gardening and knows better than to complain about hauling fire wood! I noramlly dont even have to ask, he sees work to be done and jumps right in.

I have a nephew who still wasn't cutting his own food at the age of 13! His brother is 14 now......he thinks "Mario" is "one of my best freinds"!!!!!

 

[Haynie]

1-When you asked to go to your friend's house it was safe to pedal yourself over there.
2-Neighbors looked out for each other and helped out when it was needed
3-Being told little league was not for my kind
4-Being told you were not hired because you were the wrong race

Yes 3 and 4 was during my lifetime, I am white and in my lower 40s. I learned a lot about people growing up where I did and I was the one who unemployed and not allowed to play little league. Remember folks the past is the past. It was neither better or worse than what came before or after. It was only different.

 

[Andrew_K99]

I couldn't agree more Rick! My two boys (2 months and just over 2) won't get a free ride in life and won't be baby sat by a TV. It amazes me how many people are surprised that my 2 year old doesn't watch TV (maybe an hour a week if he is lucky). He'd rather be outside playing in the dirt with his tractors or helping me. I'll give them anything in the world but they're going to have to work for it.

AK

 

[Rick P]

Agreed Haynie with the exception of number one.........your kid is actually safer on his bike now than he was in the 1970's. In fact all violent crime is at a 40 year low, including those against children. Its trust in your fellow man thats missing........largely do to media saturation and community isolation.

 

[Rick P]

I couldn't agree more Rick! My two boys (2 months and just over 2) won't get a free ride in life and won't be baby sat by a TV. It amazes me how many people are surprised that my 2 year old doesn't watch TV (maybe an hour a week if he is lucky). He'd rather be outside playing in the dirt with his tractors or helping me. I'll give them anything in the world but they're going to have to work for it.

AK

LOL always better to do than watch! And kids take a lot of pride in having a job to do. Gunther beams more with congratulations for a job well done than any toy!

Quick PS Is anyone else ****ed that they didn't get there flying car!?!?!

 

[Displaced Canadian]

I grew up on a farm and my Dad worked shift work so a lot of the farm duties fell to us kids. When Dad left for work he would leave us a list of what to do. My little brother is 16 years younger than me and as long as he could walk when he saw me putting on my boots he would grab his gear and would go with me. When Dad came home and the list wasn't done and he asked why and the answer was because Stephen was "helping" he wouldn't be upset because he told us that when working with a child the child IS the project. Anything else that gets done is just a bonus.

 

[edicehouse]

I remember being on the cart full of dirt behind my grandfathers lawn mower. 2 shovels in there, his and mine.

My grandparents raised me, so I was raised by an older generation.

Getting a beer from the fridge at 6 or 7 and sneaking a sip.
Saturday morning cartoons stopped at 8 or 9 (9 on a rare occassion).
Get home from school, Homework, Chores, before you went out to play.


I think the biggest thing is if an adult told you not to do something, you didn't do it. Now a kid could be throwing rocks at your car and you tell them to stop or you will call the cops, the parents start yelling at you....

 

[edicehouse]

I couldn't agree more Rick! My two boys (2 months and just over 2) won't get a free ride in life and won't be baby sat by a TV. It amazes me how many people are surprised that my 2 year old doesn't watch TV (maybe an hour a week if he is lucky). He'd rather be outside playing in the dirt with his tractors or helping me. I'll give them anything in the world but they're going to have to work for it.

AK

LOL always better to do than watch! And kids take a lot of pride in having a job to do. Gunther beams more with congratulations for a job well done than any toy!

Quick PS Is anyone else ****ed that they didn't get there flying car!?!?!

My daughters love the trip to 7 11 for a slurpee.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

And if you got a failing grade in school your parents and the teacher yelled at YOU and not the teacher.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

It is also amazing how kids know when you try give them a BS job just to get them out of your way and won't have any part of it.

 

[wolftat]

The only thing you were "entitled" to was a smack for thinking you were entitled to something.

When you got your license you actually got a job if you wanted a car, gas, insurance,etc...

When you wanted to go someplace you would walk or ride a bike instead of nagging your parents until you got the formentioned smack.

You would address an adult as Maam or Sir, not "Yo"
.
When you went to apply for a job you would actually get dressed nicely and walk into a place to apply, not yell through a window from across the street(happens here all the time).

When you got into a fight with a friend and then went out and had a few beers together instead of running home and getting a gun.

When a pack of smokes cost $.35 and you could fill your gas tank for what a pack costs now.

I could go on all day like this but I have work to do............

 

[edicehouse]

And if you got a failing grade in school your parents and the teacher yelled at YOU and not the teacher.

This cracked me up. Freshman year of HS I was taking Algebra II, and had the hardest teacher in the school. I failed midterm Exam. This teacher had about 100 parents outside his class. Everyother teacher you had 1 or 2 in line. My grandfather was staring at the board the teacher had grades. I had already been chewed out, and was grounded by this time. Well about 60% had failed the current grade period or the midterm final.

My grandfather started asking how he justifies giving over half his students an F at one point or another. So I was happy thinking I was in the clear. Then the teacher brought out my midterm, I lost a point here and there for not putting a negative on the answer sheet, or not putting a decimal; but got partial credit. Without those stupid mistakes I would have had a high B or low A. So guess who was in trouble again....

 

[edicehouse]

My grandfathers thing when I was 12 or so, if I wanted a new bike was, you save up half, and then I will pay the other half.

 

[wolftat]

your kid is actually safer on his bike now than he was in the 1970's. In fact all violent crime is at a 40 year low, including those against children. Its trust in your fellow man thats missing........largely do to media saturation and community isolation.

Not around here, a friend of mine was recently killed by a 16 year old girl driving down the road surfing the internet while he had the audacity to be jogging on the side of the same road. He was 46 years old and a father of 3. Her father thinks she should get a stern warning for this so it doesn't ruin her chances of getting into a good college. maybe he needs the smack.

 

[Displaced Canadian]

Where I grew up it was safer to ride back them not because of crime but because if you broke a chain or had a flat tire the person driving by would give you a ride home. Now nobody stops to help and if they do you're not supposed get in the car.

 

[Andrew_K99]

I remember driving around in the back of the truck with my 2 brothers and it wasn't frowned upon. I don't see that happening these days.

AK

 

[OldGrumpy]

1. If you asked your parents if you could go over to a friends house you didn't ask until chores and homework were done.
2. When you asked you were expected to have your own transportation. The 2 wheeled pedal powered kind.
3. When your 2 wheeled, pedal powered transportation had a flat tire you were expected to at least try and fix it yourself.
4. If you broke a chain your first thought was when was your birthday so you could ask for a chain from your grandparents as a birthday present.

On Item 4 we were experts on fixing chains. Kept a coffee can with chain parts.

 

[John Pratt]

1. When math teachers actually taught math and not their political views.

2. When you could set off some good fireworks and not be arrested for terrorism (I know this one is an exaggeration but there are a lot of things like this we used to do that will quickly get you thrown in jail today).


3. When excitement was scrounging for parts in the neighborhood trash for go-cart parts.

4. When all the fun things in life were outside and you never complained because there was always something to do. (I think we called it an imagination).


5. When you could drive to high school with a shotgun in the back window of your truck because it was hunting season and you were going after school.

 

[ctubbs]

When I did something wrong it was my fault, not because I had stumped my right big toe at age 2 1/2. Now no one is ever at fault for their transgressions.
Charles

PS; Thanks for making me feel real old!!