Thursday, March 26, 2015

Back Then

Back then. . .

. . .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.

Very old and faded picture of my sisters and me (center) in 1975

6 comments:

  1. I picture myself a good decade or more older than you, but our memories are virtually identical!
    I 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!

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  2. 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.

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  3. Amanda, 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. :-)

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  4. Amanda, 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. :-)

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  5. I am 46 and I seem to have blocked the bell bottoms ;-) out but everything else is spot on. I do miss the simplicity sometimes.

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  6. I am 46 and I seem to have blocked the bell bottoms ;-) out but everything else is spot on. I do miss the simplicity sometimes.

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