Did you live in the 50's 60's or 70's?

@webeishere (36313)
United States
March 29, 2007 12:07am CST
This is good. Show your kids and laugh as they read it. I loved everyone. Especially the ending. Too funny. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !! TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 50's, 60's and 70's! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms...WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them! Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL. And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?
12 people like this
22 responses
@raijin (10345)
• Philippines
29 Mar 07
Hi GrandPa!;) I know I've read of this topic of yours before, just can't remember where and when. Yes, all the happenings that you've mentioned above are true and how I wished that I also lived during those times. Though there are also some advantages and technological advances today, I can say that the means of living during those times are complexed and simple. We can have fun in whatever ways we can think of, of not worrying of what we will get while enjoying it. Thanks for sharing this to all of us!;)
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
29 Mar 07
First time I've posted this actually. Some of these things may have been mentioned in my carnival etc stories. Nowdays things are so rushed and over protective. But that comes with the crime rates also. Thanks for the responding also. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!
1 person likes this
@raijin (10345)
• Philippines
29 Mar 07
Hi again GrandPa!;) What I meant when I said, "I've read", is that I already seen this(not here in mylot) along time ago. Just can't get it outta my head, guess I have to dig my brain more to get a hold of my past!;)LoL Thanks again, GrandPa!;)
1 person likes this
@Calais (10893)
• Australia
30 Mar 07
LOL.....I just had to turn off my record player to concentrate to write this answer...(Ha) oh and hop up off the lounge to change the channel on the TV. Gee, you summed that up very well. Good job. I'm from the 70's and survived and you pretty much described my childhood. It brang a massive smile to my face. Thank You.
2 people like this
• United States
29 Mar 07
I love this, I am a child of the 70's and even though it is the last one on this list we did almost all the things on this list, seems like nowdays everyone is too afraid to do anything, yet we are living proof that we can survive. Thanks for posting this, I copied and sent it 5 of my email friends.
2 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
29 Mar 07
your'e welcome also. Thanks for the response. I loved the freedom we as children back then had. The safety wasn't an issue. There weren't all these dam lawsuits over frivilous things. Once again thanks for the response. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@Eskimo (2315)
29 Mar 07
Yes I remember doing most of these in the 60's (and even 50's), Walked to school aged 5 (mother came the first day, after that I was on my own), crossing several busy roads. Aged 8 I would cook meals at lunch time for dad coming in from work (Tuesday & Thursdays because mum was out on those days). Washed and dried dishes. If the weather was good, then outside all the time, didn't have a television to watch anyway. At age 15 cycled to Elgin ( in the north of Scotland) on my own, stopping at youth hostles - over 200 miles each way. How many children would have the freedom or the ability to do any of this now?
2 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
29 Mar 07
Its not wehter they have the freedom or ability now days. Its wether they ask or tell their parents. LOL Thanks for the response also.
1 person likes this
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
29 Mar 07
Yep I hear you loud and clear and I've done absolutely everything you've mentioned here right down to lots of hitchhiking (my girlfriend and I) and what about working in the garden lots of time we didn't even use water from the hose, just wipe off the carrot best you could and eat it. We also didn't argue when we were told to go do something we did it no questions asked, we didn't tell our parents where to go how to get there and to you know what else. My things have changed. I love this thread, brings back a whole lot of memories. The food tasted better, the music was music and I could just run away with all this !!!
2 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
29 Mar 07
When I was with the carnival one season I hitch hiked across 25 or more states for a charity drive for kid abuse. It was fun. I'll have to see if my family or I have any of the news stories. Of course back in the 60's and 70's hitch hiking was easy as people weren't afraid to pick us up.
1 person likes this
@aliasad (1567)
• Pakistan
29 Mar 07
A nice summary of all those past days. I would tell you that I am the late 70s born but I can feel, after going through all above nice sharing, how much simple and easy the past was. Off course, my dad sometimes tells us the old times stories. Sometimes, if we have a visit of old village where he was born, he shows very proudly the old passages, the roadsides, his father's pick & drop for school. It was really hard to travel through the vista... there were no means available for travelling. He proudly tell the story of his success how he made all out effrots by having 3 different jobs and had 2 hours to sleep. He recalls and shows us many old pictures of the past. His old transister radio is still there. How he did all!! Really we are thankful for our parents making their present dedicated for our future. I salute all fathers. Have a nice day Grandpa!
2 people like this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
29 Mar 07
I tell my grown children stories of what it was like before they were born also. Sometimes they love them other times I get called an old fart or a gezer. Geezer in the USA is slang for being old. LOL. Thanks for the great response also. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!
1 person likes this
@rainbow (6761)
29 Mar 07
Thnkas for sharing this Grandpa Bob, I've seen it before but it's still a goodie! Strange how ideas change, I always felt safer in the 70's and 80's.
2 people like this
@peaceful (3294)
• United States
29 Mar 07
Yes, I lived through all of those decades... but you didn't specify which CENTURY! LOL! I'm loving this discussion because it makes a person wonder how the current generation will fare in the coming years... I love our inventiveness, our creativity, our rebelliousness and our romantic view of the World that we all share... I'm proud to say that I kept fit and that my "mojo" still works better than ever... The ladies who lived and prospered during those years are still HOT and they know how to stay that way... May Joy, Abundance and Peace be with each and every one... even more so to the current generation! :) Blessed Be!
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
29 Mar 07
Oh, how true this is. It was the 60's during my childhood. We did have TV, but not until I was older, only black & white, and only one channel. I remember that ALL our meals were home cooked, no takeaway where I lived. I remember that our toilet was kind of outside. I remember that my brother & i could roam up and down the street, playing hide & seek, or chasey. I remember being allowed to ride my bike to school. I remember having pet lizards. It's a fair bit different for my daughter now, but I have made sure I have brought her up to be a thinking, responsible teenager!
2 people like this
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
29 Mar 07
I was born in the fifties and do remember those things. It was a simpler time. Things we took for granted then have now been pretty much outlawed. Everyone knew everyone else, and sure knew who your parents were, so it was very common for your transgressions to be relayed by phone, usually before you even got home. The stuff we used to get in trouble for then was nothing compared to what goes on today. It was a whole other time and world, and a lot less complicated. Those were the days.
2 people like this
@honeyangel (1991)
29 Mar 07
well i was born in 68 so im a child of the 70/80s and what you have above is all true.there is a little to much tecnolagy going around.today its all about money not happyness,my mum would never buy me name brands clothes but then again they werent out then,i remember on christmas all the kids would be out playing on their mew bikes or scooters,all having a shot of each others toys.i would love to go back to those days.
2 people like this
@cdparazo (5765)
• Philippines
29 Mar 07
I don't usually like to read postings that are very long Grandpa Bob but I sure did enjoy this one. Life was freer then and I think it could be considered the best times in history where there is so much happenings all at the same time that one would really have to catch up inorder not to be left behind. Boy I just also love the fashion of those times with the hair and shoes and all...he he he!
2 people like this
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
30 Mar 07
hmmmmmm......maybe if I switch tactics on my daughter's raising, she might actually become a confident, problem-solving young lady instead of the lil brat she is now who thinks she can't do anything.
2 people like this
• United States
29 Mar 07
*sigh* i miss the '70's. :) if we did anything wrong,our mother knew before we stepped in the door,too.the mom phone network LOL. going to our rooms actually was a punishment.
2 people like this
@dixielol (1579)
• United States
1 Apr 07
I didn't live in the 50's, 60s or 70's. But I do remember all of those things. Maybe it's cause I was raised in the country. With alot of cousins, right about the same age & they all lived right down the road. We played outside all day then when it got really dark they made us come in so we would sneak back out the window to play. That was untill my mom & aunts told us that the movie Coujo was real & filmed a few miles down the road. And that they never found that rabbied dog. That put a stop to us sneaking out the windows for a while. I remember spending all day playing in the woods. No body knew were we was & it didnt matter. every were we went we all road in the back of an old rusty pick up with 4 on the floor. Oh, I wouldnt trade it for a thing. Funny post. Made me laugh but at the same time remember playin as a kid. God those days were great!
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
1 Apr 07
I miss the freedom kids had back then. My grandkids are so protected that it takes from the real fun. Just the ways of the world nowdays. Anyhow thanks for the response. And ROCK ON!!! HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~
1 person likes this
@jeans6618 (168)
• China
29 Mar 07
if i can live in 70's. i wish i was born that time. i like it
1 person likes this
@someonesmom (5761)
• Canada
30 Mar 07
This is a great read. I was a child of the 50's, a teen of the 60's, and a young adult of the 70's. Back then I used to think I was invincible in many ways. I rode up on the back of my sister's boyfriend's dune buggy, and at breakneck speed, did the back of the pick-up truck thing as mentioned, and went boating without a lifejacket too. I used to wander up and down our street, and our family knew everyone on it, so it wasn't a problem for my mom. We stayed out until dusk, played in a pond and woods behind our property, and ate the obligatory mud pies, and I'm still here. I could go on and on about this type of stuff, as it's brought back such great memories. It is sad that the times have changed so much in some ways, that we have to be so safety conscious for our kids and ourselves at all times these days.
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
31 Mar 07
Amen. I miss those days a lot.
1 person likes this
@JuliaPan (564)
• Canada
29 Mar 07
I wish I could live in the 60's! It's my favourite time of the past century! I love the Beatles, I love shake and rock'n'roll, I love the atmosphere of that time! I do assume it might be just a dream, but I want to believe in it. Those times might not have been as I think of, but let me just be a bit naive. :)
1 person likes this
@KarenO52 (2950)
• United States
2 Apr 07
Yes, this is great, and it's all true. It's funny to think of all the things we didn't have in the 50's-70's and we did fine. I sure miss them days.
1 person likes this
@webeishere (36313)
• United States
3 Apr 07
I miss the good "old" Rock N Roll sounds the most.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Mar 07
I am old enough that I can say I have been there done that. I remember many things too, how about the skate boarding craze, and the rock and roll craze, was that actually music? as my parents would say. I remember we actually had to learn how to dance ballroom style, my kids just give me the eye when I say things like that. My parents also fought against change, my parents never allowed cable or satelite tv in their house....we did manage to talk them into trading the antennae wire for co axial. They did not understand why they had to buy their own phone and then they bought the one they had and refused to give up the rotary phone. Speaking of phones I even remember the party line system. Man talk about feeling old!...lol
1 person likes this