I happened across a web site that described the differences
between the lives of children nowadays versus what it was like growing up in
the 1960s. Since that was the era of my own youth I found the site very
entertaining, especially as I see my own kids guiding their children through their
early years. I borrowed some of the most entertaining aspects of the site and added
some of my own experiences. I’m always lecturing my kids, with the requisite
eye rolls on their part, on how different life as back then. I guess that’s
what it means to get up in years but it is a stark reminder of how much life
has changed.
Walking to and from School Alone – Nobody walks to
school any more. I remember walking nearly three quarters of a mile to
kindergarten, 1st, and 2d grade with just my older sister along but
usually by myself. Older sisters have very little tolerance for brothers at
that age. We moved closer to a school after second grade but I still walked unescorted
to school all the way through junior high. Parents did not worry about bad
people lurking along the way.
 |
| My 3rd Grade Picture, I'm 2d Row far Left, Cantankerous is top row far right |
Going to a Friend's House Unescorted - These days it
seems to take a whole lot of planning to arrange play dates. Back in the '60s,
you just called out to Mom: "I'm going to so-and-so's" and then
walked to your friend's house alone, or hopped on your bike. Even in the first grade
my best friend at the time (now a devoted fellow pub crawler) would decide to
go to each other’s house after school without informing said parents (that did
get us in trouble). Pals lived in the neighborhood and you didn’t have to have
an appointment to see them. You showed up, hung out, and sometimes stayed for
dinner, too.
Riding Bikes without Helmets Everywhere - Since parents
did not chauffeur kids around, you rode your bicycle. One of the first rites of
passage was the day your father taught you to ride a bike. Parents expected you
to fall, made you get back on, and stop whining about scraped knees and elbows.
Once you got the hang of it, you could leave the house and meet up with other
kids on bikes and ride around together. No one ever thought of wearing a helmet.
 |
| 4th Grade,I'm 3d Row far Right, Cantankerous is top row 2d from far right |
Playing Outside Unsupervised All Day - Kids left the
house in the morning during summer and if we were staying the neighborhood (very
broad interpretation of that) we didn’t have to report our location. Parents
called you in when dinner was ready and let you back out, telling you to come
inside when the street lights come on. One of our neighbors would ring a bell
as the sun went down which was a signal for that’s house’s kids to return to the
roost. It became a signal for the entire neighborhood. Adults often had no idea
of their kid's whereabouts for long stretches of time. We were usually playing “Army”
across battlefields that spread across the entire neighborhood.(we all know
what that led to) I was a dedicated tree
climber and I shudder to think of some of the heights and falls I achieved unbeknownst
to my parents.
Playing at the Beach On Your Own - My family along
with the Cantankerous One’s spent a number of years vacationing two weeks in
August at York Beach, Maine.
We were allowed pretty much unfettered freedom the
entire time, choosing whether to stay at the beach or wander a mile or so over to
the arcades of Short Sands. The parents eventually joined us on the beach but
we were expected to entertain ourselves.
No Sunscreen - The '60s was the golden age of the
tan and no UV protection. I’m certainly paying for this now with my dedicated relationship
with my dermatologist but because we spent so much time outside we were usually
brown as nuts after the first few weeks of summer, of course, we had more of an
ozone layer back then.
Drinking from Garden Hoses - Bottled water wasn't
even a thing in the '60s unless you had a canteen. The hose, yours or a
neighbor's, was how we stayed hydrated while playing outside. Hoses were not
regulated the way drinking water inside the home was, but no one ever dreamed
that unsafe levels of lead were coming through. (Also, the brass nozzle was a
danger because it could leach lead.) It was also common to drink from public
water fountains. We’re a lot more germophobic nowadays.
Spanking and Hitting - Back in the day, parents hit
you because that's what parents did when you angered them. It usually was just
a smack on the behind or literally being put over dad's knee for a spanking for
especially grievance misdeeds (like breaking all the windows in a vacant house,
but I digress). A common threat was: "Just wait until your father gets
home." Mom was really the scarier of the two.
 |
| Jarts! |
Unsafe Toys - There were a slew of toys in the '60s
that were super dangerous. Jarts, a heavy dart that you threw to land in a circle
while the other team stood around that circle. I didn’t say we were brain
surgeons. There were also plenty of BB guns, cap guns, and bows and arrows. I remember
having a bow and shooting arrows high into the air and then going in search of
where they landed in neighbors’ yards.
Hitchhiking - Hitching was a popular mode of
transport and people didn't worry about the kinds of scary things that have
since made many give hitchhiking almost nonexistent. This was my primary mode between
college and home or my girlfriend’s house and home.
 |
| My Hometown in 1960s |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECURRING
CHARACTERS
BR3
– inbound
granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel
- second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog
Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA –
Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Keene
Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene,
NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since
grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to
attract women; Pittsburgh College
Roommate – high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which
grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two
close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3rd musquetera
(musketeer); Riggins - also known as
the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals
– female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife
accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia
member, Favorite Panamanian - the
wife (of course); First Friday –
celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her
single days in Brooklyn
No comments:
Post a Comment