Life - Back Then

[Wayne M]

Author Unknown
===========

My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning.

My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e. coli.

Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then.

The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system.

We all took gym, not PE...and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now.

Flunking gym was not an option... even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention.

We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything.

I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself.

I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed!

We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked.

Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either; because if we did we got our butt spanked there and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home.

I recall my friend from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off.

Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house (no lawsuits back then).

Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family.

How could we possibly have known that?

We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes.

We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac!

How did we ever survive?

Love to all of us who shared this era; and to all who didn't, sorry for what you missed. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

[hondo122]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne M Author Unknown =========== My Mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning. My Mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter and I used to eat it raw sometimes, too. Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e. coli. Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring), no beach closures then. The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA system. We all took gym, not PE...and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries but they must have happened because they tell us how much safer we are now. Flunking gym was not an option... even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym. Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention. We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything. I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself. I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations. Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed! We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat. We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either; because if we did we got our butt spanked there and then we got our butt spanked again when we got home. I recall my friend from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house (no lawsuits back then). Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck. To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that? We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes. We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive? Love to all of us who shared this era; and to all who didn't, sorry for what you missed. I wouldn't trade it for anything!

So true, there' one thing I did I'd like to add, my Uncle Larry operated a landing craft in the South Pacific and brought a captured Japanese Rifle home with him. I don't remember exactly how but when I was 7 or 8 it became mine, it was my "toy gun" from then on when we played Army, can anyone imagine what would happen now if a kid was running
around his neighborhood with a real rifle, but such was life in the 50s. Still have it, maybe I'll let my grandson play with it, how long before I get locked up

[baraff]

We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac!

My little theory with absolutely no research to support it:

Have you ever why wondered whether the entire financial mess was caused by over-exuberant, over-confident, Prozac-addicted politicians, wall street bankers and real estate investors? Its funny how the run up in housing and wild trading coincided with the Prozac craze of the 90's.

Just sayin'.......

[cat938g]

Amen brother!

[TAZ]

We can't be broke we still have credit.

I was raised to think that you only financed your house... maybe a car but I like to hold my titles and not share them with my bank. Why do they always try to get me to finance a tv or a blender when I buy a new one? I would not buy one if I could not afford it.

I wish they would Please stop trying to give me credit.

And I do eat pizza that has sat out over night. We are making our immune systems too fragile. I have to wonder how recruits these days can make it through survival school without getting sick?

[wa8yxm]

I too wonder.. Every time a school age child is killed it seems the school brings in "Grief Counslers" by the bus load.

Now, the ADULTS may need 'em. but Kids are "Immortal" (At least in their mind) and thus "It can't happen to me" is their mind set and frankly the last thing then need is some idiot saying "How did that make you feel"

Of course Reporters are like that too.. Some woman is on the porch crying her eyes out cause her darlling scuze buckeet just got perforated in a drive by shooting and there is Mr (or Ms) reporter shoving a mic in their face "how did that make you feel"

(Makes me feel like the reporter should visit a proctologist to retrieve said mic)

[slickest1]

Those were the good days in my opinion. Thanks for sharing that. What would happen if a grief counselor died? Who would we call to help the rest of them deal with it?

[beachboy27]

Just reading that takes me back. I knew that I was responsible for what I did and would take the punishment, even when I threw the box of dried, salted cod fish down the neighbours well.

[Aguyfromcalg]

When my sister and I were kids we would go out to play and sometimes we would be playing almost a block away. Our mom would stand out by the front door to call us home for lunch or supper. We would hear her and come running home.
Back then it was safe to play at any home with our friends.

[daveshan]

You didn't mention the horrible toys we played with back then,

Metal Tonka trucks with sharp edges, and hot surface toys (vacuform/Creepy Crawlers) that taught you hot things were hot, they didn't even have warnings all over them. You got burned/cut once, shrugged it off and went back to playing, a bit wiser.

[Aguyfromcalg]

Or using the eletrolux vacuum as a riding toy

[slickest1]

You had to show respect to teachers and adults. If you didn't you got a little lesson in pain management! You were taught manners and were reminded when you forgot them and when you did something wrong it was your fault and you were expected to apologize! No wonder the kids these days think we are dumb.

[NLOVNIT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aguyfromcalg Or using the eletrolux vacuum as a riding toy

Oh does that bring back memories. My aunt had a pink floor buffer similar to the one below. What a ride that would give.

Lori-

[historyljc]

I actually feel sorry for my grandkids. They'll never know the freedom we had before this became an over lawyered, over regulated, over protected from yourself country.