Saw myself in every one. The up at dawn and home when the street light comes on brought back memories.
You went to bed at 7 when in grade school 10 pm junior high 7 and 8th grades and 10-11pm in high school. Gosh, I see kids in grade school up and on the streets at 11pm.
We got working papers at 12 and many of us found jobs. Working on farms, picking strawberries for the local grocery stores that a majority of the vegetables sold came from nearby. To make a salad you bought a head of lettuce it didn't come prepared in the bag. Or Sweeping at the corner store. You rode you bike to deliver the newspaper and came every Friday to get paid.
Babysitting and lemonade stands. (now you can't do the Lemonade stands without a health permit, no kidding). Mowing lawns, picking weeds and shoveling snow. No fatkids around.
TV without blood guts and swearing on every channel.
No remotes, you had to get up to turn the channel. No fat kids in our house. In fact not at my my neighbors either.
Going house to house collecting soda and beer bottles for 2 Cents a bottle Bet there are many today who would love to get rid of their soda bottles that way instead of waiting in line behind the a smelly drunk or dope addict who are getting money for more beer or crack to feed a machine.
Fist fights without guns and knives and you came home with a black eye.
You get in trouble at school wait till you get home.
Although this one is questionable it worked. The old belt across the backside. Just one smack was all that was needed then the next time all you had to hear was "you got in trouble at school"? Get the belt.
Punishment meant go to your room that was a place only for sleeping without TV's, computers games.
Getting grounded was a motivator.
There was only one car per family and for all the sports stuff we walked or rode our bikes to get to the practices and games.
When parents showed up at the games Parents didn't swear at the coaches or literally beat them up for the penalty call they made on their kid.
Almost everyone went to drivers ed and it was real drivers ed. Who heard of private drivers schools? To pass the permit test meant no more than 2 incorrect answers and you couldn't take it again for many weeks. You waited for weeks to get the news if you passed the drivers test. Bugging the mailman every day looking for the news.
You didn't get your licence till you were near 18.
You wanted to go to the movies you worked to get the money somehow.
There was a Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, Christmas and a Tooth Fairy.
Stores didn't sell Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.
The Christmas parade was always always called a Christmas parade had a Santa at the end.
When Salvation Army kettles didn't have bars over the tops with just a little hole to put your money in.
The Salvation Army played their Trumpets at the local shopping center during the Christmas season.
When carolers showed up in front of your house.
When you could leave your bike out on the porch or even on the lawn without it being stolen.
The only uniform I ever saw was on the crossing guard.
You used the sidewalks not down the middle of the street. Against traffic on the shoulder where there were no sidewalks.
Everyone shoveled their sidewalks and did it for their elderly neighbors.
You rode your bike with traffic ,on the shoulder and not in the middle of the street,
You spent hours flying kites.
There was a milk man.
You didn't wear black at night when riding your bike.
You had dinner as a family.
Going to McDonalds was a a special treat and to have a McDonalds meal for dinner not a tradition.
You brown bagged your lunch for school and to buy a hot one was considered a treat.
We didn't get breakfast at school.
To buy chocolate milk with your lunch was the ultimate treat.
Where fathers took responsibility for the kids they had.
When there was only one father for all the kids in the family.
You got your own bank account in grade school and once a week the teacher came around and you added a few cents to it. I still have that old bank book.
I graduated from HS in 73 so it really wasn't that long ago.
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