How was life different?

My DIL just emailed me a "if you were born in 1992" list sure wish I could post it here! This morning I was thinking 'remember when' and thought I would make a topic out of it (and will) then I logged on and here is your topic. What a day this must be going to be. I grew up in the 60's, in the country, on a small farm, outside a remote village in MIchigan. We WALKED everywhere. It was 2 miles to town and I would WALK by myself every Saturday and Wednesday to go to the liabrary! (now kids have to ride the golf cart across the street! And we wouldn't think of letting our kids walk a block from home!) We didn't have a bathroom, so every Sat. my mother hand pumped water and CARRIED it into the house so we could have a bath! Needless to say to go to the bathroom you had to walk out doors to the 'outhouse'. I remember pumping the water, heating it on the stove, then dumping it into the washer to do laundry and scrubbing clothes on a wash board! (today kids through a fit if they have to carry their laundry to the laundry room!) I remember having, as a child, to pump that water and carry it into the house. Now days kids have a fit if their parents ask them to get them a glass of water!!!!! I remember every Sunday my mother and I went to church, every Sunday morning and night! We always went on Wednesday nights too. Well, that covers my memories. I think I prefer the running water in the house, especially the bathroom!!!!

I was born in 72 so my experience is quite similar when it comes to such things as lack of computers and talking to people on the phone. Just mentioning a computer room with beebs takes me way back and funnily I still have one packed away in the loft somewhere along with my first PC which was an Atari 800. The one thing I remember was that most days after school, weekends and holidays there would a whole group of us playing outside on the street, be it a game of footie, riding our bikes or going exploring in the local woods. It saddens me that young children don’t get that these days, the opportunity to go exploring without fear of trouble. I also remember the excitement of the summer holidays and spending the day at the Lido, where if we weren’t mucking about in the pool, we would be sunbathing or buy cheep sweets from the little shop. Where I have still has a Lido, but it’s changed so much that the only people who use it are the hardened swimmers with everyone else using the new adjacent indoor pool.

My life was so hard when I was still a child. My family was financially in distress when I was growing up. There were nine of us in the family and it was very difficult for us to get what we needed. No luxury or something for us because even our necessities were not met.

Gosh....so many things....I can't even start to think.... Let's see....I was born in 1979......and in a village....so things were different.....Those days, the city life and village life difference is huge compared to what it is now. Forget internet, we didn't have telephone - that's right, I am talking about a small Indian village. I went to a different state for my degree, and when my mother sends me money, she had to go to her bank, make a Demand Draft, send it to me by registered post, then I had to go to the bank to cash that. A far cry from the situation now. People from the same place and in the same situation as I was don't have to do anything like that now. They just open a bank account in the hometown, then their family could deposit money and they can use that using a debit card or ATM card. Or they do internet transfers. When I was in college, me and a friend of mine who lived in the other side of town used to write to each other. By writing, I mean letters, not email. I remember one day she came to visit me and while we were sitting down and chatting, a postman arrived delivering a letter she had posted before. Gosh...those were the days..... Thanks, karen1969, for bringing up a topic which makes me think back the good old days.

Well, I was a kid in the 90s, and while we did start getting cellphones and computers when I was a teenager, when I was a kid, there was really none of that. I think that is the biggest change of all, and it had a big impact on many areas of our lives.

oh my life is a lot different now. i was raised in the province/country, and i used to do a lot of house chores. i hated them but that's how my mom wanted things to be. she insists that we should learn to do stuff at home. i agree with he, but i still hate the chores:-D now i live alone in a big city to study in a university. and i'm now just an internet addict who crams school stuff all the time. *sigh* i hate what's happening to me, but it't too difficult to stop. i am trying though. i guess i'm not trying hard enough since i'm online now, replying to this post. *sigh*

When I was a kid we didn't have any video games but instead we played hopscotch, jump rope, and jacks. We listened to the radio and the programs were the Long Ranger, The Shadow Knows, Amos and Andy. We also got our music from the Radio. We did have a television when I was twelve and we watched Roy Rogers and Gene Autry the singing cowboys, Our Gang Comedy, Abbot and Costello. We did have a telephone. As a teen age I went to live with my grandparents. They had an out house and heated water on the stove for baths once a week. The telephone was only used for real necessaries. We could be gone all day and no one worried about us. We didn't have computers at all back then. We were excited when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and we got to watch it on TV.

I was born in 1981. I think the biggest difference between growing up and how things are now, is computers. I remember the computer I used to use to play Where in the World is Carmen San Diego. It was so slow, and so bulky. And of course nowadays you have to drag people off the internet. It's harder to get people to pay attention because there are more things to occupy a person these days than ever before. Another big change is the content on television. What was once risque when I was a child, is now conservative. Which is really too bad. I don't call that progress.

When I was a kid I would play outside all day with my friends. When I was a teen I remember watching Movies or MTv all summer long. I never was into phones and the first computers.

People communicated more when I was a child, certainly there was more "community spirit" and the local shops was actually the main hub of where I live. Sadly this has changed, people aren't very friendly now or welcoming and shops have fallen into major chains hands. Most shops was filled by local people and now they're filled with people all over the place. You can walk around more now, streets are safer but you have issues being happy inside your home. where as you wouldn't hear your neighbours when I was a child, it's now very common and you are more prone to anti-social behaviour. I'd give anything to have how it used too be, it might not of been safe on the streets at night but that could easily be stopped without all the other down sides.

Hi karen, I was born in 1939, so as you can imagine there is a lot of difference between growing up today than it was in the 1940's and 1950's. I grew up in a rural community with no electricity and no running water. When I was 12 years old my family bought a battery operated radio but we had no telephone of any kind. All communication was by writing letters which back then really did seem to take forever. I attended a two room school and even completed high school there. The drop out rate was very high and the majority of students didn't finish school. I didn't get a computer before I retired but the Internet has given me a new lease on life. What a wonderful world we live in today! Blessings.

I could just use two words and describe my childhood as 'people centric'. So much of importance was given to people. People provided the entertainment be it the neightbourhood children, classmates, siblings. All got together and gave each other company, played together, ate together,visited each other, spent holidays in each others' homes. Al this is history now. The virtual world has now taken over.

Hi Karen1969!. My childhood really different with today. I spent my childhood in village my family have a farm there, they grew vegetable and we have many open space to play but so little access to technology. I remember we don't have electricity that moment. We use lamp thats powered by gasoline. Now I live in big city with all facility thats makes life more easier but I still remember and miss thats time I spend in my childhood.

Right, the first thing I thought about was Internet. I think it was the biggest change. I see now teenagers, little kids being in social networks and all, but I only met the Internet when I was a teenager. The music was awsome and the movies were better. Other than that, although I like 80 and 90's music I prefer the modern beat, things became easier like to seek for information, I learned webdesign over the internet, improved my english, learn by free tutorials online. I mean the studies, the way to learn things became really easier. I don't know if it's called typing machine, but back then I wrote my stories by hand, and later by the typing machine and now in the computer and I can edit how many times I want without wasting paper. Now the violence, I think things were preatty more calm in the 80's and 90's, two decades I will never forget, although I remember more the 90's. I think the world changes too much in ten years.

Hi Karen I was born in 1961 And I say it was a lot better then being a child, there was freedom, lots of Fields, trees to climb, not as much danger as there is now no Computers or Games, TV only at certain times, not all the time and there was always something to do Today all you hear is "I am bored" but I do not just blame the Children for that, the Fields have houses on, many Parents put the Children in front of the TV or Computer to have peace, there are not as many Play Parks any more as there used to be it is sad really

So many things were different when I was a kid. It would take forever to list all the things I didn't have as a kid compared to what we have now. We didn't have television until I was 8 yrs. old and didn't have air conditioning until I was a teenager. Two major inconveniences but I didn't know the difference during that time of my life. We played outside and listened to the radio. At night we slept with window fans on to keep cool. No such thing as a microwave oven either. Cars didn't have air conditioning or seatbelts. How times have changed and we can now enjoy the use of cell phones and computers. No way I could sleep now without central a/c. Life is good!

i was born in 1969 too..i'd have to say it's changed a lot. and the kids are hell spoiled compared to what we had. the most technically advanced toys were ones that lit up! LOL can you imagine a kid nowadays have to be the parent's remote and if you missed a show,no dvd/vhs you were screwed?they'd probably cry. no microwave..no cells,no video games..no computer.. having to play cards,board games,or read? bwahaha never happen. on the upside..we had $7.50 concerts..$1.25 movies where sometimes you got a triple feature..and toys in most cereals.

I grew up around that same time and had much of the same life. If we wanted to talk with a friend we waited until school or actually knocked on a door. I was outside more and not just in my own yard. I grew up in a small town. We played and every where. We never had an adult constantly with us, but they were always watching, because most of our mom's didn't work outside the home. I think we, as children had more confidence in ourselves because we found things out on our own. I don't think we were as stressed as kids these days are. I watch my youngest daughter, she is constantly texting or having to go some where for someone else. Never do I see her just sit quietly and think about anything or just nothing at all. I do have to admit, she has no interest in the net, at least not like I do.

Hi Karen, I to was born in the 60's. 1966. So I was a child in the 70's and a teen in the 80's. So much has changed. Now it is all a digital world and its so confusing. Kids don't go out much anymore. Always on the computer or playing video games. Remember atari?? Ha ha I loved playing it. We had a computer room in school to, but it was all apple computers and I didn't know anything about them. We played outside till supper time and as a teen, no phone to take with when I went out. I had to stop at so many pay phones! Oh and the tv was tons better than today!! I can admit I do love the clear pitcure of HD though. Much better than what I saw growing up. But thats my opinion.

Hello Karen 1969, Well u are ten years younger to me as I was born in the year 1959. At that time, life definitely was different. I was youngest of five siblings and was pampered a lot. I was an outdoor child - playing outside with friends whenever free from homework and inside home my companion was a little pocket radio with music on. I could not sleep without reading comics. But now when I see my son growing up, when free he is either watching TV or laying games on computer. It is a task every evening to send him out to play with friends. Compared to him, my childhood definitely was marvellous