How times have changed. The difference between now and then changes drastically every decade.
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events. The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the school shootings, the computer age, and just things in general.
The granddad replied, “Well, let me think a minute, I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees, and the pill.”
There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams, or ballpoint pens. Mankind had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man hadn’t yet walked on the moon.
Your grandmother and I got married first-and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, ‘Sir’-and after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, ‘Sir.’
We were before gay-rights, computer dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.
The Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense governed our lives. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up for our actions.
Serving your community was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege. We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.
Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant the family spent time together in the evenings and weekends, not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We listened to the Bid Bands, Jack Benny, and the President’s speeches on our radios.
And I don’t remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.
If you saw anything with ‘Made in Japan’ on it, it was junk.
The term ‘making out’ referred to how you did on your school exam. Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, and instant coffee were unheard of.
We had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. And if you didn’t want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day, ‘grass’ was mowed, ‘coke’ was a cold drink, ‘pot’ was something your mother cooked in, and ‘rock music’ was your grandmother’s lullaby. ‘Aids’ were helpers in the Principal’s office, ‘chip’ meant a piece of wood, ‘hardware’ was found in a hardware store, and ‘software’ wasn’t even a word.
And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No one people call us “old and confused” and say there is a generation gap. And how old do you think I am?
