. . .Dad wasn't the king of the remote. There was no remote. If you didn't like the channel, you had to get up and change it.
. . .traveling required a map. Printed on paper. Good map skills meant being able to fold it back up again. The right way.
. . .kids either walked or rode their bike to school. Dad was at work and Mom had better things to do than to drive your lazy ass the 3 blocks to school.
. . .moms didn't say things like "lazy ass."
. . .suntan lotion was meant to enhance your tan, not prevent it.
. . .sunburns were simply an expected part of summer.
. . .lunches were carried in brown paper sacks or metal lunchboxes, filled with plastic baggies and a thermos whose top was a cup from which you could drink.
. . .when you got hot in the car, you rolled down the window. By hand.
. . .bell bottoms and plaid were a part of the everyday landscape. And everyone seemed perfectly happy about it.
. . .music filled the air by way of vinyl records and transistor radios.
. . .summer heat was chased away by screaming, giggling children running through sprinklers on their front yard lawns.
. . .one of the best things about weekends was Saturday morning cartoons.
. . .phones weren't things you carried around in your purse or pocket.
. . .playing after school meant riding bikes and roller skating up and down and around the block.
. . .parents weren't afraid to let their kids ride bikes and roller skate up and down and around the block.
. . .one of the first signs of Christmas was the toy catalog arriving in the mail.
. . .we didn't realize just how sweet life was.
Oh, to be able to spend one more day. . .back then.
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| Very old and faded picture of my sisters and me (center) in 1975 |
I picture myself a good decade or more older than you, but our memories are virtually identical!
ReplyDeleteI must stress "virtually", because I NEVER liked bell-bottoms or plaid. Mom made me wear them, under protest, and matching my youger brother.
This was a delightful stroll down memory lane, with rich, specific details - from Mom's vocabulary, to the toy catalog before the holidays.
Bravo! Thanks for tagging me!
My mom grew up in Brooklyn in the 1950's. We were just talking about "back then" earlier today and decided that despite the lack of air conditioning, it was a much better time than right now. Your post echos her sentiments.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, thanks for generously sharing your thoughts and family picture with me. This was wonderful to read. I wonder what my students will be nostalgic about 10 to 20 years from now. :-)
ReplyDeleteAmanda, thanks for generously sharing your thoughts and family picture with me. This was wonderful to read. I wonder what my students will be nostalgic about 10 to 20 years from now. :-)
ReplyDeleteI am 46 and I seem to have blocked the bell bottoms ;-) out but everything else is spot on. I do miss the simplicity sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI am 46 and I seem to have blocked the bell bottoms ;-) out but everything else is spot on. I do miss the simplicity sometimes.
ReplyDelete