In 1950, 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 and 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 Harriett, and Lassie. So nobody’d
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 Mr. Adkins, not Ms. Becky or Mr. Dan.
The only hazardous material you knew about was a patch of grassburrs
around the light pole at the corner…
And that was good.
Most families needed only one job, meaning Mom was home when school
let out…
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.
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 that was good.
It was alllll goooood! Lovely post 🙂
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Weird, but I was just talking about how things today are a tad SCARY out there with my Mom this morning….kinda makes you wanna stay home in your “little bubble” and curl up with the cats…half of our neighbors don’t even know each other…too busy commuting to their tech jobs, I guess…it’s sad…..
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Thanks for this post. It did make me smile. 🙂
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Oh good. Thanks for commenting.
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There have been many compromises made in the name of convenience over the years.
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It would be wonderful if someone could always be home for kids.
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I agree. I wish families were closer knit–not scattered to the four winds.
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I just spent two months with my new granddaughter. Wish I could be there for her everyday. She is 1600 miles away. That’s why I write my stories.
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Love this post–bittersweet nostalgia; with all the “progress”, I’m not sure we’ve gained much “to write home about” (which of course no one does anymore–what with emails and texting….). For 9 years of my childhood, we lived in a small town in northern Minn–we kids knew that if “something” happened, we could always take refuge in our unlocked church. Today, not even churches are safe…very depressing.
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It is different.
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🙂
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A special post for a special time…and that, Linda, was really good ! ❤️
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Thanks
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All good things! I grew up on a ranch outside a small town.
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I did too!
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Things are different now Linda. *sighs*
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people knew my first and middle name whenever I was caught acting up. that was never good when I was called by both names.
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No kidding
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I see you ave experienced that as well.
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I did. We didn’t have a phone. If I messed up at school, Mother knew before I got home. How did that happen?
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Moms had their ways of knowing
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It was dreadful!
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Those were the days…such good safe memories 😉 Thanks for sharing.
Be a blessing!
LaTrice
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Welcome
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Amen to all of the above. It definitely was a simpler, safer time.
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