I Grew Up Back When - Post Your Memories...

SmoothSeas

SmoothSeas

Senior Member
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”And I see this WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK. A generation that went to school and walked back. A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street. A generation that spent all their free time on the street. A generation that played hide and seek when dark. A generation that made mud cakes. A generation that collected sports cards. A generation that found, washed and sold empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each. A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands. A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players. A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings. A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days. A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem. A generation that had parents who were there. A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn't know we were still awake. A generation that is passing and unfortunately will never return!!...”
 

@SmoothSeas you covered a lot of my memories as well. I might add riding my bike, roller skating and Ice skating were favorites of mine. Running through the sprinkler in the summer and drinking from the hose on a hot day.
Going by bus to the food store with my mom and grandma once a week and paying bills in person once a month. My mom and grandma going to the bank and depositing the weekly paychecks which the teller did without a computer.
Going on day trips and finding a nice spot for our picnic lunch.
Being allowed to watch Howdy Doody on a Friday evening while eating my supper on a snack tray. That was a real treat and didn't happen often.
 
SmoothSeas said:
”And I see this WE ARE A GENERATION THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK. A generation that went to school and walked back. A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street. A generation that spent all their free time on the street. A generation that played hide and seek when dark. A generation that made mud cakes. A generation that collected sports cards. A generation that found, washed and sold empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each. A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands. A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players. A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings. A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days. A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem. A generation that had parents who were there. A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn't know we were still awake. A generation that is passing and unfortunately will never return!!...”
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This is beautifully written! Thank you for your words.
 
In the UK steam engines weren't phased out until the end of the 1960's. It seemed that every schoolboy would stand at stations. bridges, engine sheds, collecting the numbers of the engines. There were no handhold electric gizmos back then so trainspotting was a schoolboys pastime.
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Who remembers the soap box carts? We all made them using the wheels of prams before the pushchair became the choice of baby's mode of travel. Downhill Soap Box Derby, many crashed, skin ripped, knees bled, spit on your hanky and tie it round the wound and play on.
Many a happy hour was spent in the recreational area of public parks where children played on the swings, slides, roundabouts and a host of other rides.
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Do you remember when there was a cinema in the centre of most towns in Britain? For many children in those days the highlight of the week was the visit to the local cinema for the children’s matinee – the cinema club. Oh, the thrill of the silver screen for children in the 1950's and on into the early 60's, and the fun to be had at the cinema in the past at the Saturday morning children’s cinema club!
https://www.francisfrith.com/uk/blog/the-saturday-cinema-club

Like others have said, roller skates were very popular, we road push bikes that we put together from old scrap bikes. We climbed trees and rocks too, took tumbles in our stride and even when the weather was bitter cold we would still be out playing.
 
I grew up back when the other girls in school made fun of me because my Mom had to work outside the home (even though Dad made a good salary like their dads did but then again he had mistresses to support, dontcha know); "Ladies don't work after they get married; only daddies work! What's wrong with your family?!" Then in about 5 more years the kids who parents had never been divorced were considered the weirdos. (Once modernization got going in my area, it moved really fast.)
 
Pappy said:
This was a typical scene when I was a teen.

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When I was a teen (in the 60s), any couple that shared a soda like this would've been picked on unmercifully by the popular kids; you were supposed to be sneaking beer in the back seat of a car; there weren't even any soda shoppes around anyway, just hamburger drive-ins.
 
I can remember feeling safe in school, where we never had to worry about “active shooters” and the major threats were from bullies. You knew who the bullies were, could see them coming, and could effectively hide in a peer group. The “duck and cover” drills were practiced, but less often as you aged, and you doubted that the Russians would really come to bomb us. If you had a less than ideal home life, school could be your sanctuary from toxic family members…
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
@SmoothSeas you covered a lot of my memories as well. I might add riding my bike, roller skating and Ice skating were favorites of mine. Running through the sprinkler in the summer and drinking from the hose on a hot day.
Going by bus to the food store with my mom and grandma once a week and paying bills in person once a month. My mom and grandma going to the bank and depositing the weekly paychecks which the teller did without a computer.
Going on day trips and finding a nice spot for our picnic lunch.
Being allowed to watch Howdy Doody on a Friday evening while eating my supper on a snack tray. That was a real treat and didn't happen often.
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I remember when my father decided, out of the blue, to make a special movie night for us kids. He bought a lot of finger foods, like cocktail hotdogs, crackers, pickles, ect. He set up folding tables in the living room and we each had an assortment of snack foods on little trays as we watched the Saturday night movie special.
 
Liberty said:
I grew up back when you ate white bread.

Ask grand daughter what she thought it was like
when I was a kid and she said "everything was black and white"...lol.
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lol, you think that was bad ?.. my daughter came home from school about 10 years old having just had a science class, and asked me in all innocence and seriousness ''mummy did you have electricity in the caves when you were little ''? :oops::ROFLMAO:
 
I was a younger kid in the 70's and I remember playing hopscotch, kickball, and dodgeball with my friends and in the 80's when I was a teen and in high school it was a great time. I remember spending a lot of time at the Mall with my girlfriends, movies, school dances, and sporting events. It was a lot of fun. I guess in my teens the only thing we sort of worried about and it really wasn't that much was the Russians.
 
I do wonder about the current generation of kids growing up in these troubled times. and I mean the troubles are beyond anything that we could have imagined; Covid, constantly being exposed to negative social media, not knowing the simple pleasure of just being in the moment without whipping out a phone to "capture the moment." Our brains are perfectly able to capture moments!

I can remember, as a child, lying on my stomach in the grass and watching tiny insects marching back and forth. I can remember standing by the garage and nibbling on honeysuckle flowers, sucking the sweetness out of them. Getting excited when exploring was rewarded by finding a cherry tree. Getting lost in a field of grass that was taller than me, and feeling as frightened as if I were lost in a jungle. Thinking that maple seedlings were angel wings. Ah, memories.
 

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