Things that show your age

[brook]

Ever so often I think about what things were around (or not) when I was young. For example, stereo didn't exist. Records were the main source of music and they were monophonic.
There were only black and white tv shows. You could only wear dresses to school, and everyone had "Tony" perms. Parents could let their kids walk around in the neighborhood without fearing the safety of their child. Candy bars were 5 cents. Gasoline around 25 cents.

What were things like when you were young?

[GuitarGramma]

Re: Things that show your age

Ah, Coleen, we must be the same age! On Saturdays, my brother and I would spend the day riding our bicycles until we felt good and lost. The game was to find our way home again. And my almost-always-worried mother never worried about us doing this. It was most definitely a safer time.

[Lightwriter]

Re: Things that show your age

3 channels on the B&W tv...maybe 4 if you got PBS. If the President was on it was on every channel. Roller skates that fit on the bottom of shoes. Saddle shoes and crinoline petticoats (the devil to sit on all day at school). Watching the old reel to reel movies off a projector at school. Fast food was a hot dog at a local restaurant...no McDonalds, Pizza Hut, or KFC. Fried chicken was hot from Mama"s cast iron frying pan. Rotary phones with 2 letter prefixs and five numbers. Party lines with the telephone service. Real vinyl records, hard back books from the local library to read, and the ever popular small bottle of Coca Cola.

My first ride in a J-3 Cub airplane ...what a thrill! Sledding on a wooden sled in a rare Southern snow. Department stores with elevators that had operators. Schools with wooden floors and a boiler that provided hot water heat. Standing over a floor furnace at home to get warm.

A simpler time...most people had jobs whether it was at the mill, being a shade tree auto mechanic, or running their own small store or business. With a few dollars, lots of guts, and a little luck a small business could support your family. Families were big and close. Doctors would still visit you at home with their little black bags.

Nothing was perfect....it was a time of history with the echoes of the depression still ringing in the adults ears but with hopeful dreams for their children.

[easyquilts]

Re: Things that show your age

How about layers of crinolines, white buck shoes ( ala Pat Boone), 45's, party lines, Spoolies, and Saddle Oxfoeds?

[shirleyknot]

Re: Things that show your age

Nobody got upset when kids played Roy Rogers (or even Buck Rogers) or cowboys and indians. A quarter would still get you a treat from the ice-cream man.

[Carol336]

Re: Things that show your age

Going to Grandmom's for dinner every sunday. Playing hide and seek after dark (safer times for sure) Poodle skirts, and the Buddy Deane Show, the stroll, jitter bug, bob and madison. Tin foil on the TV Rabbit Ears.

[TMP]

Re: Things that show your age

I never did this but my cousin's school in Tennessee had a break for cotton picking. Saying the pledge of allegiance and a prayer every morning in public school. Real Christmas trees ( no other choice), respect for adults, black and white tv that you replaced tubes in, small transistor radio, walking home from school, space exploration was a big thing, my mom stayed home and cooked and cleaned all day long, only one phone in the house and it was on the kitchen wall, 5 and 10 department stores.

[susie i]

Re: Things that show your age

Playing outside and getting a drink out of the water hose or playing jacks on the floor inside .Party lines and the one phone being tethered to the wall.Only being allowed to wear dresses to school unless it was really cold,then we could wear long pants underneath our dress.Cartoons were on only Saturday mornings and wizard of oz only came on once a year.A much simpler time indeed!

[Carlie Wolf]

Re: Things that show your age

Hoola hoops, scooters (that didn't have a motor), having box cart races and building your own box cart.

hahaha, yes those Toni perms!

[amartin24]

Re: Things that show your age

We used to play in the woods all day and build forts. Wouldn't come back until dark. No worries like today. Simpler times were actually a blessing. Kids weren't overweight because they actually went outside and played all the time! My young daughter asked if there were cars and phones when I was growing up! Now, I know I'm an older Mom but I'm not that old! We had phones but they had cords and you used a dial. Definitely not ones in your back pocket. As far as cars....I learned to drive on a stick shift. Who learns how to do that anymore?!

[mpattylou]

Re: Things that show your age

Learned to drive a stick shift too....it was on the steering column not the floor. Don't see those now. When my kids were getting to driving age, we required them to learn to drive a stick....in fact both of their first cars were stick shift. When you live on a farm, it is something you need to know. Daughter drove pickup truck to college that was manual transmission. She said not many girls from the sorority she lived in would ask to borrow her truck....they didn't know how to drive a stick.

[lourixe]

Re: Things that show your age

We still drive manual cars in Europe, so this is no clue of your age!

[catmama635]

Re: Things that show your age

Learning typing and shorthand in high school--we were in heaven when our typewriters were upgraded to the IBM Selectric--no more having to use those little typing correction papers! Remember carbon paper?

[BobW]

Re: Things that show your age

So many great memories. We shopped at the local mom & pop grocery store, much of the time my grandmother called in her order and they delivered it to the back door of the house. The milk man delivered our milk, if I was up and home and had enough allowance left over I could buy a pint of chocolate milk.

We didn't have a key to the house until I was in Junior High School. And you never lost the car keys, you left them in the car. LOL We had breakfast in the kitchen, and our evening meal (dinner or supper depending on where you lived) we ate at 6 pm and we ate in the dining room. We didn't leave the table until we were excused.

When you went to get gas in the car, they checked the oil, cleaned the windshield and checked the air in the tires.

My grandmother wore "House dresses" when she was home, but even if she was going to the neighbors she dressed up to go. She wore a hat if she was out and about. And the seams had to be perfectly straight on her silk-stockings. Lest we forget the gloves, white for warmer seasons and black for colder seasons.

[MRoy]

Re: Things that show your age

Most of the above and catching lightning bugs, playing in the creek, and taking city cousins snipe hunting. Picking up glass soda bottles along the side of the road and "selling" them back to the store for the refund to earn money to spend at the county fair.