Were you a kid in the 50's?

[cisco]

I received this e-mail. Thought i'd pass it on.......


Were you a kid in the Fifties or so ?



Everybody makes fun of our
>childhood!
> > Comedians joke. Grandkids snicker. Twenty-something's shudder and say
> > "Eeeew!" But was our childhood really all that bad? Judge for yourself:
> >
> > In 1953 The US population was less than 150 million... Yet you knew more
> > people then, and knew them better... And that was good.
> >
> > The average annual salary was under $3,000...Yet our parents could put
>some
> > of it away for a rainy day and still live a decent life... And that was
> > good.
> >
> > A loaf of bread cost about 15 cents... But it was safe for a five-year-old
> > to skate to the store and buy one... And that was good.
> >
> > Prime-Time meant I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, Gunsmoke and Lassie... So
> > nobody ever heard of ratings or filters... And that was good.
> >
> > We didn't have air-conditioning... So the windows stayed up and half a
>dozen
> > mothers ran outside when you fell off your bike. And that was good.
> >
> > Your teacher was either Miss Matthews or Mrs. Logan or Mr. Adkins... But
>not
> > Ms Becky or Mr.Dan... And that was good.
> >
> > The only hazardous material you knew about...Was a patch of grassburrs
> > around the light pole at the corner... And that was good.
> >
> > You loved to climb into a fresh bed... Because sheets were dried on the
> > clothesline... And that was good.
> >
> > People generally lived in the same hometown with their relatives... So
> > "child care" meant grandparents or aunts and uncles.. And that was good.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Parents were respected and their rules were law..... Children did not talk
> > back..... and that was good.
> >
> > TV was in black-and-white... But all outdoors was in glorious color....And
> > that was certainly good.
> >
> > Your Dad knew how to adjust everybody's carburetor... And the Dad next
>door
> > knew how to adjust all the TV knobs... And that was very good.
> >
> > Your grandma grew snap beans in the back yard...And chickens behind the
> > garage... And that was definitely good.
> >
> > And just when you were about to do something really bad... Chances were
> > you'd run into your Dad's high school coach... Or the nosy old lady from
>up
> > the street... Or your little sister's piano teacher... Or somebody from
> > Church... ALL of whom knew your parents' phone number...And YOUR first
> > name... And even THAT was good! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ REMEMBER....
> >
> > Send this on to someone who can still remember Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys,
> > Laurel &Hardy, Abbott &Costello, Sky King, Little Lulu comics, Brenda
>Starr,
> > Howdy Doody and The Peanut Gallery, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow Knows,
> > Nellie Belle, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk as well as the sound of
>a
> > reel mower on Saturday morning,
> > and summers filled with bike rides, playing in cowboy land, playing hide
>and
> > seek and kick-the-can and Simon Says, baseball games, amateur shows at the
> > local theater before the Saturday matinee, bowling and visits to the
> > pool...and eating Kool-Aid powder with sugar, and wax lips and bubblegum
> > cigars
> >
> >
> >
> > Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that!
> > And was it really that long ago?

:jump:

 

[bear]

Indeed it was a good time!




bear

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Hmm Reminded me. There is not an addative made that will replace the fresh scent of sheets hung out on cloths line outside.
Probablyless than 20% will understand what I mean but those that do will agree I am sure.
Remember when your jeans were a bit short from past year because you grew over summer. They used to laugh and call them high=water pants. Now they buy em that way a call em Capri's.
Use to only have 2 pair of jeans a good pair and one that was patched because it was better than holes in em. Now they buy em with wholes ect.:lol:
Reminds me of the song on All in the Family "Those were the days."

 

[The Mover]

DTB re: the blue jeans smile came over my face reading / remembering , could not believe how stiff they were my mother use to buy them so long had to roll them into cuffs. Thanks guys !

 

[StevieD]

So very true. I think we had it a lot easier being kids in those days then the kids do today.

 

[djv]

Born in 42 so yes I was. Went from kid to teenager in 50's. A wonderfull time. First TV in our house was late 55 when we got our first station. They signed on at noon and were back off at 11 p.m. When they started haveing movies that began at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday nights we thought holly cow. Then the NFL arrived on TV 1960. Holly chit is what we said then. Oh yes it was fun sneaking that first couple of Cig's behind the garage. Then at around 15 years old, 4 or 5 of us sharing a beer togeather. That was all we dared sneak from one of our house with out getting caught. Yes the 20 cent movies, 10 cent popcorn and 10cent pop. Just 5 cents for a box of duds or black grows. Oh when I got my drivers licenes gas was 17/18 cents a gallon. Never went up to 20 cents till 1962. Oh I could go on and on about the goodtimes we had. Elvis in our town 1956 for $3 cheap seats and $4 for the best. Hey most kids were working then for less the $1 a hour. But 10 bucks a week went for ever.

 

[cisco]

Getting all my hair cut off for the summer. (a pineapple)

Got a pair of Keds sneakers that, when summer was coming to an end, had the soles flopping.

Skinny dipping at the Bare Ass Beach. (until the cop showed up and chased us off.)

Corduroy that made that funny noise when you walked.

Getting a chunk of ice from the ice man in that sweltering heat. (Rhode Island)

Playing sandlot baseball with both cracked bats and the baseball taped up with electrical tape.

Playing baseball for St. Catherines in the CYO. We had some real nice white uniforms.

Buying baseball cards for a nickel a pack. Getting too many doubles. Flipping cards with friends and putting the bummers in the spokes of your bicycle tires.

Ice skating at the lake in the winter. Pick up games for hockey.

Shoveling snow for 35 cents a driveway and 15 cents for a walkway and hoping for another snowstorm to come quickly.

At the 25 cent double feature we ate jujubes, rasinettes. baby ruth, charleston chew, milk duds, tootsie roll, along with a bunch that I can't remember.

Yeah, it was a nice time.
Oh yeah...We still put our clothes out on the line.

 

[homedog]

It is amazing how far we have come, but have yet fallen equally as far. Life has gone to shit. Yeah I have a great job and make lots of money. What does that mean when all you do is work and have to worry about your kids walking around the corner out of eyesight.

I did not grow up in the 50's. It was the 70's for me (born in '66), but I remember lots of things you mention. My dad worked, mom didn't. Dad was always home early, coached my baseball and basketball teams, and we always seemed to have plenty of money for everything we needed/wanted. Had a great childhood.

I dread the day when I have to worry about what my little girls are watching on TV.

I read the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, watched the Lone Ranger, and was familiar with Roy and Dale.

Calling Mr. or Mrs. (insert first name) was always common in the south as far as I know. I know I have heard people older than me say this is a characteristic of the south.

The outdoors was different also. Anybody fish Toledo Bend? How about those years after they first impounded it? 10 fish, 70 pound stringers . As many fish as you could catch. Ducks so thick they would turn the sky black.

I would give anything to go back to that day and time.

Thanks.

 

[ferdville]

Born in '47, I remember the 50's well and look at them fondly. You didn't lock the doors to your house or car. It was a special time - but like most memories, it probably wasn't as good as we remember it. The biggest difference I see to today is the apparent (?) lack of crime. And back then, fights were one on one with no weapons other than fists.

 

[djv]

Oh yes it's mentioned above those 5 cents packs of baseball cards and the sweet gum inside. My Mom still kicking herself in the bottom. Why. Well when I was in the service she thought it was time todo alittle extra cleaning. Oh yes two shoe boxes of those cards gone. I have no idea the worth. But keep in mind I was buying them from 1949 to about 1957.
And one other good thing back then. Not so much traffic. Each house had one car or none. Many rode the bus 5 cents. Not like today. Everyone has a car and many have two or even three.