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Thread: What was it like growing up with your generation?

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    United States Avalon Member Strat's Avatar
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    Default What was it like growing up with your generation?

    With the constant, rapid advancement of electronics, being a 4yr old now is very different from being a 4yr old in the 50s. As the times change, old technology fades away along with the older way of life. I'm interested in how you folks lived your lives as kids and teenagers as well as fads and things you don't use anymore (i.e. typewriter, bell bottoms with fluffy pirate shirts, pay phones, etc).

    I'll start. I was born in 85. I don't remember much from the 80s, just some faint memories. In the 80s our living room looked like a hangover from the 70s and evidently short jean pants on guys was cool.

    I'm really more of a 90s kid. In the 90s most of my friends played video games. Back then though video games weren't as immersive as they are now so I think I would only play an hour or two at a time and not every day. I remember spending nights at friends houses, riding bikes, going to the beach, all kinds of stuff.

    When I was a boy I remember I was proud of a paper boat and grappling hook I made, bent paper clips tied to about 4' of string (surely Batman inspired). I absolutely loved riding my bike with a friend to Blockbuster to rent games/movies and buy candy. I had my parents card and once got in trouble for renting Texas Chainsaw Massacre II.

    As I grew older I played sports. Wrestling was the most physically demanding and (American) football was the most memorable. It's crazy looking back on it then, the term concussion was never mentioned. If you got hurt and were dizzy or something you were told that you just "got your bell rung" and to "walk it off." We also weren't allowed to have water whenever we wanted. We could only drink water when the coach allowed.

    Some notable things I remember from those times are payphones, typewriters, encyclopedias and Encarta95. Magic eye was really cool for like a week. Everyone had a book. I remember the tv guide was handy, as was a sears/jcpenny catalog. A must have was a phone book.

    If you wanted something and you couldn't find it locally then you had to send away for it in the mail and include a check or cash. Sometimes you can find listings in old magazines and the address to write to is an office in the world trade center. Speaking of which, I still have an umbrella that I bought from the WTC. Not sure which tower. I remember it was raining and looking up at the building it went into the clouds.

    Surely I'm missing some things. I'll post them down below when I remember. Oh and I like this video, it's somewhat applicable:
    Today is victory over yourself of yesterday. Tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.

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    Canada Avalon Member TomKat's Avatar
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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    I found this. If you grew up in the 50s/60s:

    Remember?

    Gay meant happy
    Flip flops were called thongs
    The milk man
    Cars without seat belts
    Drive-in movies
    Dinner was called supper
    The bathroom sink was a lavatory
    "Fill her up with ethyl and check the oil"
    TV repairmen made house calls and you could buy TV tubes at the store
    $100 was a lot of money
    "Surfers" and "Hards"
    Woolworth's lunch counter
    Single-file was called Indian-file
    Eenie, meenie, minie moe, catch a n....
    Hi! was for greetings and Hey! was "for horses"
    Sen-sen for bad breath
    Half the guys were named: Jim, John, Steve, Bob, Bill, or Mike
    Stamp catalogs
    Karate chops
    Dime stores, not dollar stores
    Transistor radios
    Indian head pennies and buffalo nickels
    Liquor and cigarette commercials on TV
    Bic pens really did write "first time, every time"
    Students weren't learners, signs weren't signage, worrisome was not concerning, and custom was not bespoke
    Gas cards
    Cigarette machines
    Beijing and Mumbai were Peking and Bombay
    Rolodexes, phone books, rotary phones, answering machines and high (analog) quality phone lines
    Wanted posters in the post office
    People knew how to hyphenate
    Novels were written in first OR third person, but never BOTH
    Postage Paid envelopes for paying bills
    People said "groovy" and "far out"
    "Literally" didn't mean "virtually"
    A thousand was a G and not a K
    Tang, Crisco, Brilcream and Ivory Soap floats

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Quote Posted by TomKat (here)
    I found this. If you grew up in the 50s/60s:

    Remember?

    Gay meant happy
    Flip flops were called thongs
    The milk man
    Cars without seat belts
    Drive-in movies
    Dinner was called supper
    The bathroom sink was a lavatory
    "Fill her up with ethyl and check the oil"
    TV repairmen made house calls and you could buy TV tubes at the store
    $100 was a lot of money
    "Surfers" and "Hards"
    Woolworth's lunch counter
    Single-file was called Indian-file
    Eenie, meenie, minie moe, catch a n....
    Hi! was for greetings and Hey! was "for horses"
    Sen-sen for bad breath
    Half the guys were named: Jim, John, Steve, Bob, Bill, or Mike
    Stamp catalogs
    Karate chops
    Dime stores, not dollar stores
    Transistor radios
    Indian head pennies and buffalo nickels
    Liquor and cigarette commercials on TV
    Bic pens really did write "first time, every time"
    Students weren't learners, signs weren't signage, worrisome was not concerning, and custom was not bespoke
    Gas cards
    Cigarette machines
    Beijing and Mumbai were Peking and Bombay
    Rolodexes, phone books, rotary phones, answering machines and high (analog) quality phone lines
    Wanted posters in the post office
    People knew how to hyphenate
    Novels were written in first OR third person, but never BOTH
    Postage Paid envelopes for paying bills
    People said "groovy" and "far out"
    "Literally" didn't mean "virtually"
    A thousand was a G and not a K
    Tang, Crisco, Brilcream and Ivory Soap floats
    “Yes sir” or “No sir.”
    “Yes ma’am” or “No ma’am.”
    Sharing a room and a bed with one, or more, siblings.
    One TV, if any, and it was black and white.
    Rabbit ear TV antennas. No remote.
    One car, if any, per house.
    Hand-me-down clothes.
    Sitting at the table for meals with the family.
    Pick-up games of baseball, basketball or football with neighborhood kids.
    Kick the can.
    Gardens in backyards, fruit and vegetable.
    Apples, peaches, tomatoes, et... to be picked off the tree or vine.
    Watermelons stacked next to houses in summer.
    Susan, Kathy, Linda, Shirley, Beatrice, Brenda ... we’re common names for girls.
    “Girls” and “boys” under 18. “Young women” and “young men” between 18 and 21.
    25 cents was a lot of money for a kid. A dollar and you were rich, and popular.
    Making money by cleaning garages, washing cars, cutting grass, shoveling snow.
    Reading and studying for courses at school. Writing. Showing your work and how you solved a problem.
    Riding a bus to school, even as a teenager.
    Respect for elders.
    ..........

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Two main things have stuck with me ever since childhood (60's and 70's generation), both wound up being promises I made to myself once I got "old" myself.

    1) I remember hearing "kids today". Promise to self: "I'll show you. And no matter what, never have that attitude yourself toward kids in the future. No matter HOW much you may feel they deserve it in that time!".

    2) I remember the occasional senior citizen ass hole, the "get off my grass!" type. Promise to self: "Never, ever, EVER, wind up being that person".
    Last edited by Gracy; 5th April 2020 at 14:57.

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    United States Avalon Member WhiteFeather's Avatar
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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?



    This is pretty much how it was. Good video.

    I always treasured my bicycle and my records. It got me through the times.
    Last edited by WhiteFeather; 5th April 2020 at 15:15.
    "Although I Live On This World, I Choose Not To Live In It"
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    Canada Avalon Member Ernie Nemeth's Avatar
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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    I remember smoking on airplanes and the funnest - smoking on a bus! Loved those little armrest ashtrays.

    Ah, those were the days!

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    UK Avalon Member Le Chat's Avatar
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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Growing up in the UK in the 60s was......Fab!

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    One word, freedom.
    Chris
    Be kind to all life, including your own, no matter what!!

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    I miss my bell bottoms. Had lots of freedom (ty greybeard).
    Red, white and blue moccasins. Dr. Scholl's sandals.
    Klackers. Pet rock. 45's. Cassettes.
    FAT pom-poms!.
    "The Streak" t-shirt". P-coats, MIA bracelets.
    Steel roller skates with key for tightening.
    Short-shorts aka hot pants.
    Uni-cycle, dirt bikes, muscle cars. (Boys had these)
    No fear of people,police or guns.
    More time outside than inside or t.v. .
    Adding: mood rings, puzzle rings, Bundt cake mix and 3 color jello layers
    Last edited by raregem; 5th April 2020 at 22:50.

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Phone Booths

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    Canada Avalon Member TomKat's Avatar
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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    I remember when parents spanked their kids and principals paddled them. Now they might be arrested or sued for that. It wasn't the pain, it was the humiliation. You can't hurt someone there unless you're Joe Frasier or Bruce Lee.

    Makes me wonder what a "progressive" wants to progress us towards? Hell on Earth?

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Born in '62, at the tail end of the baby boomer generation, I've felt in between generations. Being a child during the 60s, llfe seemed good. People around me who were not quite so old were talking about love and peace. Everything was colorful. But, I recall wondering why there was an issue between black and white people. And, for me, the Vietnam War was just pictures of jungles and helicopters in the background of the evening news with Walter Cronkite. (The war was not even taught while I attended in high school.)

    I recall hoola hoops, superballs, TV dinners as well as instant junk foods like Tang, boxed mashed potatoes, and cake mixes. Soap operas were on the 3 major TV channels in the afternoons. My playmates' older sisters wore bit loop earings, and made hash brownies. My favorite "outfit" was purple, long bell bottoms and a stripped turtleneck.

    My friends and I had few limits where we played, but it was always outdoors until dark. Walking a mile or two to a store or the library was not an issue. Sometimes my friends and I stopped in the Bell Telephone building to get some free different colored wires that we used for braided rings and bracelets. Board games were never as exciting as those we invented!

    Our family gatherings for holidays and birthdays always had a lot of people and was fun. Picnics were common.

    The economic strains of the 70s led to mom entering the work force. I recall that women wore scarves like ties, with their suits.

    When I reached college in the early 80s, focusing on getting an "international" job was in the picture. Also, I recall a lot of layoffs for engineers in firms that supported the steel industry. Many moved their families to the southwest U.S. Many of my cousins moved to different states.

    I would have to say, in hindsight, the Dr. Richard Day tapes where spot on in terms of how things changed. And, honestly, and in speaking generally, I felt somewhat betrayed by the older Boomers. But, I understand that now... We had absolutely NO insight about the behind-the-scenes nonsense.
    Last edited by Alecs; 5th April 2020 at 23:45.

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Quote Posted by TomKat (here)
    I remember when parents spanked their kids and principals paddled them. Now they might be arrested or sued for that. It wasn't the pain, it was the humiliation. You can't hurt someone there unless you're Joe Frasier or Bruce Lee.

    Makes me wonder what a "progressive" wants to progress us towards? Hell on Earth?
    I'm an generation eXer and am so glad that my father decided that violence wasn't the way to solve problems. We learned many wonderful lessons growing up...but never through violence or humiliation.
    I practice the same approach with my child. Our son is strong, confident and secure with healthy self esteem. We are constantly told by others what a kind and considerate child he is.

    In my work as a quantum healer I am CONSTANTLY witnessing the damage done to people through harsh methods of learning. Hidden shame is at the root of so much that is wrong with this world. It is really really tragic when aspects of a person's inner child comes forth and I see the burden of shame that they carry. With 99% of people this shame is at the heart of their blocks. It holds them back from their true potential.

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Well so long as we're getting autobiographical here ...













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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Quote Posted by Bluegreen (here)
    Well so long as we're getting autobiographical here ...
    I'd forgotten about Bird is the Word. If you ask me it's a rip off of the much more insightful Papa Ooom Mow Mow :-)

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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Quote Posted by enfoldedblue (here)
    Quote Posted by TomKat (here)
    I remember when parents spanked their kids and principals paddled them. Now they might be arrested or sued for that. It wasn't the pain, it was the humiliation. You can't hurt someone there unless you're Joe Frasier or Bruce Lee.

    Makes me wonder what a "progressive" wants to progress us towards? Hell on Earth?
    I'm an generation eXer and am so glad that my father decided that violence wasn't the way to solve problems. We learned many wonderful lessons growing up...but never through violence or humiliation.
    I practice the same approach with my child. Our son is strong, confident and secure with healthy self esteem. We are constantly told by others what a kind and considerate child he is.

    In my work as a quantum healer I am CONSTANTLY witnessing the damage done to people through harsh methods of learning. Hidden shame is at the root of so much that is wrong with this world. It is really really tragic when aspects of a person's inner child comes forth and I see the burden of shame that they carry. With 99% of people this shame is at the heart of their blocks. It holds them back from their true potential.
    There is a good and bad side to everything. By substituting character assassination or pleas for spanking you can end up with whiny, passive-aggressive adults. Children need to know the boundaries and a spanking can do it quickly and efficiently.

    That said, I'm no fan of the taciturn, inaccesible fathers of the GI generation who drove their sons to rebellion. Boys who grow up without fathers seem to do better than those who had them, having missed out on a lot of emotional scarring.

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    United States Avalon Member Mike's Avatar
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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Quote Posted by TomKat (here)
    I remember when parents spanked their kids and principals paddled them. Now they might be arrested or sued for that. It wasn't the pain, it was the humiliation. You can't hurt someone there unless you're Joe Frasier or Bruce Lee.

    Makes me wonder what a "progressive" wants to progress us towards? Hell on Earth?


    So true!

    I have 2 sisters and a brother, and when we were kids my Dad didn't give a f#ck where we were or what kind of crowd was around; we could be at the white house and he wouldn't hesitate to line us up like a shooting gallery and spank us relentelssly if he felt we were misbehaving. It always seemed to happen at the grocery store. If you could go back in time to the mid 80's and visit Price Chopper in Liverpool NY, you might see all four of us, lined up, hands on the wall like we were being arrested, getting spanked assembly line style by my very angry father...with a slightly curious but not entirely concerned crowd looking on. Those days it wasn't such an unusual thing to see. People just walked by and kept it moving. Today, the crowd would likely tackle my Dad and send me off to a shrink where I'd be therapized to death for the next 20 years

    Folks these days claim those events are traumatizing or some such thing. Not for me. I remember it all pretty fondly actually. It's always a great laugh when someone brings it up at family gatherings or whatever. Makes for great stories.

    I was born in 77. Grew up in the 80's. I have very fond memories of dirt biking and running around my neighborhood from dawn till dusk...playing all kinds of games with the neighborhood kids. The families were all pretty close, so the adults would cook out and drink beer and let us run loose. Whenever I smell hamburgers on a grill, it immediately brings me back to those nice memories.

    Remote control cars.

    Garbage pal kid trading cards.

    Baseball cards.

    Above ground swimming pools.

    Bee stings

    Dancing and singing with my Mom to Michael Jackson and Hall and Oates.

    Camping

    My brother beating the **** out of me

    Atari and Intellevison

    Playboy magazine

    Go carts

    Bebe guns

    Train sets

    ...and having a huge crush on my neighbor Leila. She wrote me a note one day, out of pity I think, explaining that I was her "3rd best boyfriend". That confused young Mikey LOL. I just couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. Any attention from her was thrilling for me, but 3rd place seemed a little discouraging .

    These are a few things that stand out for me during that time.
    Last edited by Mike; 6th April 2020 at 02:58.

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    United States Avalon Member
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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Moon Pies and RC Cola along with my transistor radio...I had it made.

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    Hanging out at the Dairy Queen after dark dressing to look good for the girls


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    Default Re: What was it like growing up with your generation?

    Quote Posted by Mike (here)

    So true!

    I have 2 sisters and a brother, and when we were kids my Dad didn't give a f#ck where we were or what kind of crowd was around; we could be at the white house and he wouldn't hesitate to line us up like a shooting gallery and spank us relentelssly if he felt we were misbehaving. It always seemed to happen at the grocery store. If you could go back in time to the mid 80's and visit Price Chopper in Liverpool NY, you might see all four of us, lined up, hands on the wall like we were being arrested, getting spanked assembly line style by my very angry father...with a slightly curious but not entirely concerned crowd looking on. Those days it wasn't such an unusual thing to see. People just walked by and kept it moving. Today, the crowd would likely tackle my Dad and send me off to a shrink where I'd be therapized to death for the next 20 years

    Folks these days claim those events are traumatizing or some such thing. Not for me. I remember it all pretty fondly actually. It's always a great laugh when someone brings it up at family gatherings or whatever. Makes for great stories.

    I was born in 77. Grew up in the 80's. I have very fond memories of dirt biking and running around my neighborhood from dawn till dusk...playing all kinds of games with the neighborhood kids. The families were all pretty close, so the adults would cook out and drink beer and let us run loose. Whenever I smell hamburgers on a grill, it immediately brings me back to those nice memories.

    Remote control cars.

    Garbage pal kid trading cards.

    Baseball cards.

    Above ground swimming pools.

    Bee stings

    Dancing and singing with my Mom to Michael Jackson and Hall and Oates.

    Camping

    My brother beating the **** out of me

    Atari and Intellevison

    Playboy magazine

    Go carts

    Bebe guns

    Train sets

    ...and having a huge crush on my neighbor Leila. She wrote me a note one day, out of pity I think, explaining that I was her "3rd best boyfriend". That confused young Mikey LOL. I just couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing. Any attention from her was thrilling for me, but 3rd place seemed a little discouraging .

    These are a few things that stand out for me during that time.
    Snap on the bee stings and Hall and Oates!

    I have been thinking about all you have said here in relation to disciplining kids. I believe that we need to offer children very firm boundaries right into their teen years and beyond.

    My son was exceedingly difficult to handle from just about the moment he was born. I couldn't understand how two gentle and loving parents could have such a difficult child.

    I remember being at my wits end because my son would not stop biting, pinching and kicking myself and others up until he turned eight. What it all boiled down to at the end of the day was that he was reacting in anger and fear to our passive parenting and he had to find some way of expressing his anger around all of this.

    I remember one day when my son said to me, "Mama, you are too kind to me."

    I was so shocked to hear him say that because I had always thought that because of my own harsh upbringing, that kindness was the foundation for having a healthy relationship with my child.

    But it wasn't kindness and endless compassion that my own son so badly needed, what he needed to know was that his mother was human, she had her limits and that if he overstepped the boundaries, it would not be tolerated and that she meant business!

    When I ask my son now about those trying times (he is now 15) he doesn't remember why he was so angry with me. But I know why. It was because I was a crappy mother who hadn't set firm boundaries.

    Acknowledging that I was a crappy mother despite how hard I had worked to not be that crappy mother was the hardest thing I've ever had to face. 

    And so as it often goes, I then swung to the other extreme and became bootcamp mama. lol. I couldn't find the balance at first, and I was completely rigid and authoritarian with my son. And that was completely exhausting too. However, I eventually struck that balance and things are now so good between us that I can't imagine ever going back to that place.


    I have so many nostalgic memories from the 60's and 70's.

    Neighbours and my family being very close. Playing in the backyard of my neighbours houses, the whole length of the street. Long nights at my neighbours home as the parents, played cards, argued, cooked and played pole tennis.

    Weekends at my grandparents house where all my cousins would converge. Going down to the creek, wading through muddy waters and watching tadpoles grow into frogs. Running around the neighbourhoods at night, rabbit and kangaroo spotting.

    Building cubby houses out of grass trees and bark in the bush that surrounded us and being out on my bike (with no helmet) from morning to dusk. The freedom!

    Making paper dresses with the tags on them for my cardboard dolls.

    The slinky!

    The Beanie comics

    The six million dollar man

    Elastics!

    Handstanding every day in the school yard, girls and boys alike.

    Monkey bars and slides that would take the skin off the backs of your legs when you slid down them and twirled around them on scorching hot days.

    Endless hours of reading and grape and apple eating whilst sitting under my favourite tree in the front yard.

    As a teenager, talking on the C.B radio whilst driving around with my friends.
    Spending hours in the phone booth counselling my girlfriends (yes, even then!) because dad had to put a lock on the landline. (three teenagers and one phone)


    Purchasing sea monkeys by mail order from the MAD comics. Bluegreen, you made me feel completely nostalgic with your post - In hindsight, I really loved that sense of delayed gratification. It really gave you something to look forward to. Those sea monkeys never arrived but it was fun thinking about it. Time moved so slowly back then.

    Watching an all-day cricket match at the cricket with the likes of Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh.

    Swimming in our above-ground swimming pool all day long during the long hot days of school holidays. Battling monster waves on the beach, swimming in a pristine lake. Swimming, swimming and swimming.

    No supermarkets, K-marts, Targets. I saw my first supermarket when I turned 17.

    Watching movies at the drive-in cinemas. They were everywhere back then.

    Sending and receiving telegraphs

    Watching my nerdy science friends tackle the first computers to come into our high school.

    Library cards - hanging out at the library with the other nerds.

    1 toilet for the entire family - and it was outside. The bush dunny. Lots of redback spiders
    Last edited by Constance; 6th April 2020 at 22:06.

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