Friday, February 27, 2015

Station Wagons, Sunburns And Suburbia

     We're known as the "Baby Boomer" generation, but I prefer to think of people my age as the "Live and Learn" generation. We threw caution to the wind when we were young and tested the boundaries every chance we had to prove our invincibility to the world. We slept in cribs that were covered in lead based paint, rode bikes without helmets and consumed enough penny candy from the corner drugstore to fall into a sugar coma.

     Our Weekends were spent at beaches, lakes, and public pools without the protection of sunscreen lotion. Suntans were the norm and burns were treated with the smelly sap from an aloe plant.

     We didn't worry too much about what we ate---our food didn't come with nutrition labels listing the number of calories per serving or percentages of fat. We ate butter guilt-free in an age when words such as "triglycerides" and "cholesterol" were as alien to us as the moon.

   
     We rode in the back of station wagons without seat belts, and played games on the floorboards of cars. Our parents smoked as they drove (often with the windows rolled up), because no one knew that cigarettes caused lung cancer.

     And yet, we survived.

     There are so many memories from my childhood that my kids will never experience, which I'm pretty sure they're thankful to have missed. To them, a world without internet, cable TV, video games, cell phones and microwaves equates to living in a cave and communicating with rocks and sticks. It's beyond their comprehension how a family of six could share a single rotary phone, especially one that had a party line. And sadly, they will never know the joy of cramming six sweaty people into a telephone booth on a hot summer day.

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     What else have our children missed? The thrill of dropping off a roll of film from a Kodak Instamatic and counting down the days before the developed prints are ready from the local camera store. Luckily, there was no such thing as the internet back then, so all those incriminating photos we took from prom night and spring break remained hidden in the back of our closets.

     Remember drive-in theaters? There's still a few around in rural areas, but for the most part, they've gone the way of the dinosaurs. There was nothing more fun than to pack the Pontiac GTO with a cooler of food, some blankets and a few friends to watch a movie under the stars with a crackling speaker hooked to the car window.

     Sundays were a day of rest rather than a day spent bargain hunting at the local mall. When I was young, the only place in town that was open had a cross above its door, and the majority of our friends were sitting in its pews. Those lazy afternoons were perfect for reconnecting with family over a rousing game of Monopoly. It was also an opportunity to discover how ruthless your siblings could be when it came to buying up prime property on Boardwalk and Park Place.

     Our television programs were very different from the ones that kids watch today. The shows that aired were wholesome and entertaining. Granted, many of the TV sets in American homes were limited to three channels and adorned with rabbit ears wrapped in tin foil, but at least the shows reflected strong family values. Back then, there was no such thing as a "couch potato" since remote controls had yet to be invented.

     Today's kids will never know the cushion of safety we felt from the world outside of our small slice of suburbia. Front doors and car doors remained unlocked, and bicycles could be left out on the lawn overnight without worrying that they might be stolen. As children, we had more freedom to explore the neighborhood with our friends and could play at the park until dusk without fear of being abducted.

     Handwritten letters have all but disappeared as a form of communication these days. Thanks to technology, the messages our kids send to friends are  nothing more than abbreviated texts. There's something to be said about a six page, handwritten letter from a long distance friend who cared enough to take the time to write it.


    Forty years ago, "Google" couldn't be found in the Webster's Dictionary, and "Yahoo" was something cowboys yelled during a cattle drive. School projects were researched with thick books from the public library rather than by the click of a mouse. World Book Encyclopedias lined the shelves of many homes, and term papers were pounded out on a Smith Corona typewriter.

    There were no Starbucks, ATMs or iPads, but we grew up appreciative of what we had. Today's younger generation may have all the technological advantages that we could only dream of while watching The Jetsons, but I wouldn't trade it for the simple pleasures I had while growing up. But it sure is nice to surf the net while sipping on an ice cold frappuccino…..



41 comments:

  1. I totally wrote a bit about this with technology taking over and you are so right my own kids will never know so much of the above. I definitely remember, but sad that they won't.

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    1. It truly is….well, at least I have old reel to reel movies I can show them, hahaha!

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  2. Not so sure things get better, they just get different, but yeah those were good times, slower, but good and better in many ways. We had Britannica not Compton's, and never had a party line...I guess I was a rich kid! You left out sneaking half those kids into the drive-in via a giant trunk.

    You also left out Polio, TB, poor cancer screenings, black people getting hosed and shocked with cattle prods, women as second class citizens, the draft, and Viet Nam.

    Still, there were some great times, good memories and a culture that our kids will never know or understand.

    Terrific post...loved it!

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    1. Thanks, Joeh! Yes, I left out the dismal stuff----but I figure we have enough on our plates right now with ISIS. Too depressing----I just want to live in my blanket fort sometimes and ignore the rest of the world :)

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  3. Technology is a blessing and a curse. I miss the the simple, good ole days. And I really miss the lazy days of Sunday.

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    1. It's really sad how families are so busy these days--there is hardly any time to just sit and talk or play silly games together.

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  4. Why does the song, "Those were the days, my friend..." come to mind?

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    1. Oh GAWD that song came out when I was in junior high and it depressed the hell outta me!

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  5. Oh Marcia, you NAILED it! I really miss the way it was back then sometimes. Riding with my cousins and brothers in the back of grandma's station wagon, staying outside all day until my dad rang a cow bell from the front porch. Having to remember to have dimes or a quarter to make a phone call from a pay phone... Ahhhh. Dewey Decimal is one thing I don't miss though. Awesome awesome post my friend!

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    1. Your blog was my inspiration for this post--thank you for sharing your lovely writing with me!

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  6. There are times that I miss the shelter of my childhood but I find that what I really miss isn't so much the things & experiences but the feelings that went with it. I think I'm lucky to have found a place that allows me to have those feelings still even if the experiences are different.

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    1. I love to reminisce. Isn't it funny how a scent or a place will take you right back to that moment in time?

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  7. The things I remember most was never really being alone. You always had friends ready to hang out and try the next stupid thing. Kids today spend to much time alone in their rooms without human contact. It's sad. I miss those days they were so much fun!

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    1. Kids today DEFINITELY are missing out on human interaction. Many have lost the art of social graces.

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  8. My friends and I used to play all over the neighborhood, and then my Mom would ring a bell when we were to come in for dinner. We felt completely safe, and I think I had a wonderful childhood.

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    1. Right??? My mom would stand on the front porch and holler my name until I came home!

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  9. I still live in that world! Oops! Gotta go. Opie and Andy and Aunt Bee are calling me . . .

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    1. HAHAHA!!! God I love you, Diane! That is freaking AWESOME!

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  10. so nice to read your post, I miss childhood, playing outside all day, no phone to check every second or computer to work on. I hope my kids take some time to enjoy the outside world! I am trying to unwind more and turn the ringers, bells, and chimes off!

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    1. I agree----That's the best you can do. I have been doing it more and more because I'm starting to get tired of always being in front of a computer screen. My neck hurts and my eyes have gotten worse as a result. What I wouldn't give for a night at the Drive-in, though!!

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  11. I've never been to a drive-in. When I finally decided I wanted to go, the only one near my Mom's house had closed. I was so sad!

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    1. Oh no!!! You missed out! I'm telling you, those were some fun times and man-oh-man do I miss it!

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  12. I often wonder if we have so many rules and regulations today because we've lost that overall feeling of safety? Or if we just realized how lucky we were that dad didn't slam on his brakes while we were riding in the back window of his huge car (yep, my dad's car was that big, and apparently I was that small at one point) :)!

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    1. I actually did fly over the seat and hit the windshield one time when my mom hit a telephone pole. Got a nasty bump on my head from it. Seat belts were DEFINITELY one of the laws that we needed!!

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  13. I grew up the same way you did and I do have great memories of those times similar to yours. I have to admit, though, that I don't know how my mom survived having a teenaged driver in a time before cell phones, how she felt connected to me while I was in college in a time before FB. Although technology overused can be bad, living so far from my friends and family, I'm grateful to be living in a time where I have all these options to connect.

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    1. I know what you mean. As much as I miss the good ol' days, I love being able to catch up with my friends on Facebook.

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  14. I'm Baaaack dear friend. Oh how I've missed you. And I sure do miss my old black and white TV and the many hours I spent watching The Brady Bunch eating those new fangled thangs called Poptarts while talking on the dial up phone with the curly cord stretched as far into my bedroom as I could get it. Oh and my stretchy Danskin outfits were to die for!!!!

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    1. I am SOOOOO HAPPY you are back! I've missed you, too! Your comment is hilarious---brings back even more memories for me!

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  15. I rarely lock my car during the day when it is parked on the front lawn and I leave all the windows down and the front door is left open all day when someone is home right up till the last person goes to bed. I have often gone out and left the house unlocked because one of my girls are expected soon and I am just popping down the road. There is still a drive in somewhat locally about a 40 minute drive away and my daughter Jessica has often gone to the drive in they now charge by car not by person

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    1. You're so lucky, Jo-Anne! I need to come visit you. Where did you say you live??? Sounds like a great place!

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  16. Our pasts always seem so idyllic compared to the present. I don't remember feeling too much stress when I was a kid other than making sure I completed my homework and studied for tests. I see a lot of stress in kids today, though.

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    1. I think they are under a lot more peer pressure than we were. We were allowed to enjoy our childhood, whereas today's kids all seem to be pressured to grow up fast.

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  17. What a great walk down memory lane Marcia.. life was far from perfect but it has it's really fun moments..

    I remember being able to play outside until dusk and enjoying it... children today get bored so easily, we had to make up games and use our imagination... those were run days...

    I never had a party line phone and I don't think I could have handled that...lol... Having only one dial phone was not fun as I remember :)

    These are some really good memories, thanks for sharing xox

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    1. We didn't have the party line on our phone but several of my friends that lived in the rural areas did---it was creepy because you could listen in on other people's conversations. Can you imagine???

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  18. It was only the other day my partner (who is a teacher) had to re-write a homework task because it mentioned taking photographs and then sending the film to be developed. His little sister also didn't know what Delorean was, nor what comes after 'who ya gonna call?' Made us feel very old!

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    1. OMG now THOSE things bring back memories to me!!!! I swear, I think I was the last one to dump my camera and start taking picutres with my iPhone, ha-ha!

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  19. Sitting in the back-back of the statoion wagon without seat belts. Don't know how we survived. Nice post.

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    1. Ahhhhh….the good ol' days! Thanks for stopping by for a read!

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  20. oh! realy nice post. Great blog. Your blog is interesting and so informative.
    Wait for your next blog post. Thanks for sharing with us read me

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  21. As you think what is better: lots of rules to regulate even tiniest moments of life or it has to regulate freely?

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