Bring back the good o' days, Things ..........

[sarahlovesmickey]

I miss riding in the back of my stepdad's truck.

We played outside all day: we would ride our bikes *GASP* without helmets and we would check in with my mom like once a day.

We would play in the woods and none of us ever got LYMES disease.

My sister and I walked a mile to the bus stop....BY OURSELVES!!!!!!

 

[Blondiex46]

Helmets what were they. Loved the clackers. I my area there were so many things, more than 1 pair of shoes

penny candy

talking on the phone just because (that is still being done now)

going out to dances (agian still doing now)

we walked everywhere, long walking ---no one drove us anywhere cept if it was dark.

did what we were told to do, no back talk, lol

 

[SunKat]

.....and our playgrounds didn't have six inches of woodchips or a rubber surface. They were on concrete or asphalt. We fell, we got hurt, we got up and kept playing.

I used to love summer nights waiting for the ice cream man. The real Good Humor man, in his white uniform. Mostly I remember all the kids in the neighborhood playing together. Nothing was organized, but we could keep ourselves busy all day....outside!!! Now when my daughter has a friend over and they get bored, they ask me what they can do. I don't ever remember asking my Mom for ideas.

Ahhhh, those were the days.

 

[50 years Too!]

Riding my bike to the little corner store for penny candy. I loved that!
And then going to the park and making clover chains while staring up at the fluffy clouds. Having a pass to the outdoor pool and diving off the high dive.
Picking berries and beans, any of you from the northwest did this starting at age 8. Using your berry money for the 4th of July carnival. Badmitton in the yard.
Mosquito bites; now that I definitely do not miss!

 

[maxtomsmom]

.....and our playgrounds didn't have six inches of woodchips or a rubber surface. They were on concrete or asphalt. We fell, we got hurt, we got up and kept playing.

I used to love summer nights waiting for the ice cream man. The real Good Humor man, in his white uniform. Mostly I remember all the kids in the neighborhood playing together. Nothing was organized, but we could keep ourselves busy all day....outside!!! Now when my daughter has a friend over and they get bored, they ask me what they can do. I don't ever remember asking my Mom for ideas.

Ahhhh, those were the days.

Remember the slides were metal and how hot they got? We used to dare each other to go down them in our short - shorts.

 

[maxtomsmom]

.....and our playgrounds didn't have six inches of woodchips or a rubber surface. They were on concrete or asphalt. We fell, we got hurt, we got up and kept playing.

I used to love summer nights waiting for the ice cream man. The real Good Humor man, in his white uniform. Mostly I remember all the kids in the neighborhood playing together. Nothing was organized, but we could keep ourselves busy all day....outside!!! Now when my daughter has a friend over and they get bored, they ask me what they can do. I don't ever remember asking my Mom for ideas.

Ahhhh, those were the days.

I see you are from Long Island. I grew up there not too far from Robert Moses Beach. We would go to the Town of Babylon beaches with our passes. As a kid I camped out by Smith Point in Shirley. It has changed sooo much since I went there in the late 70's. My brother and I would buy Italian ices and eat them under the boardwalk that led to the beach. Starting with the crinkles (the ice part) first.

 

[MrsNick]

TV ended at 2 am or 3 am with the National Anthem and then snow afterwards. That's how we knew when to turn off the tube!

When the telephone rang during dinner, we picked up and told the person on the other end that we couldn't talk right now, we were having dinner.

Oh yeah, the telephone was tethered to the wall with the curly cord that kept getting tangled up on itself and around all the furniture. The cat liked to play with it, too.

Kitchen appliances were dull yellow or avocado green or poopie brown.

We wore Dr. Scholl's.

We walked the mile and a half to the pool without adults and swam all day with only lifeguards for supervision.

At the pool, we got Orange Crush out of the vending machine and shook it up to make it explode.

In the summer, we kids played outside until dark. Then, I went inside to watch Get Smart before bed.

We decided how we would spend our day: pool or bikes or ping pong or monopoly or battleship or connect four or kickball.

We did not rely on adults to settle our disagreements and arguments. We did that.

We walked to the busstop by ourselves.

We played Space Invaders on the Atari 2300 with the really bad graphics, lol. Also, that awful game Combat, lol.

Sometimes we fell and scraped our knees. Then we went inside and applied the antiseptic spray, ointment and bandaids ourselves.

There was a smoking section at my high school.

Since there were only five channels on TV (before cable), sometimes out of desperation we would watch UHF

I remember listening to shows ON THE RADIO.

We rode bikes without helmets, rode in cars without carseats and didn't wear seatbelts.

I didn't know ANY kid who had a peanut allergy.

I didn't know ANY kid with ADD or ADHD or autism.

I only knew one obese kid, and he had endocrine problems.

No one I knew was driven to elementary school by their parents. We either rode the school bus, or walked.

Brooke Shields didn't let anything come between her and her Calvin Klein's

We held and played with "sparklers" for the bicentennial in 1976.

We went to birthday parties at the roller rink and skated to ABBA.

We did our own college applications.

We went and got jobs as soon as we could get working papers.

We drank milk at dinner, not soda.

Our parents didn't interfere at school. Period. If the teacher doled out discipline, we must have done something to deserve it. Got a bad grade? Must not have studied or done the work. We took the consequences when we didn't do what we were supposed to.

We had chores to do, and we weren't bribed to do them. We were expected to do them and if we didn't, we couldn't play outside with our friends.

Yes, things were very, very different.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Baby oil with iodine was the fad.. I never did it. I hated the sun.. still do. I did do the lemon and proxide in my hair though

Blinded by the sun from the click clacks.. never mind that, the black and blues when you missed an hit your wrists and arms

and the plastic on the sofa.. well let's just say.. my very first sofa when I got married.. we had plastic put on it I thought you had to Now.. many many moons later, with 3 kids and 5 dogs.. I just use towels.. you don't stick...
~~~~~~~~~~~
jiffy pop....... yuk it always burned

what about putting the thing over the TV to make it "color".. and watching the Wonderful World of Disney".. in technicolor....

and the favorite saying... I walked 5 miles to school in the snow.. actually, it was about 3, but I did... I didn't have a bus, nor did anyone drive us.

we were always outside playing from morning till night, there were no computers, MY Space... AIM etc...

child abuse.. your parents were allowed to hit you, they were allowed to punish you and the schools didn't step in.. in fact, the school principals (teachers too) hit you as well I had my share of it, I know

Water Bufflo sandles and Lil Abner shoes... Parker & Pea Coats...Elephant & hot pants.. go-go boots... Goldie Hawn and Laugh-in flower children... Woodstock.. and the bird woodstock

If you were a male, at 18, if you number was called, you were drafted into the service.. and in my day.. you went to viet nam... and I can still remember the song.. "and it's 1, 2, 3, what are we fighting for, don't ask me I don't give a...... " and I relate it to what is happening now with Iraq. I was always told in history class, history will repeat itself.. and it seems to be... the draft might be next

 

[hallie615]

TV ended at 2 am or 3 am with the National Anthem and then snow afterwards. That's how we knew when to turn off the tube!

When the telephone rang during dinner, we picked up and told the person on the other end that we couldn't talk right now, we were having dinner.

Oh yeah, the telephone was tethered to the wall with the curly cord that kept getting tangled up on itself and around all the furniture. The cat liked to play with it, too.

Kitchen appliances were dull yellow or avocado green or poopie brown.

We wore Dr. Scholl's.

We walked the mile and a half to the pool without adults and swam all day with only lifeguards for supervision.

At the pool, we got Orange Crush out of the vending machine and shook it up to make it explode.

In the summer, we kids played outside until dark. Then, I went inside to watch Get Smart before bed.

We decided how we would spend our day: pool or bikes or ping pong or monopoly or battleship or connect four or kickball.

We did not rely on adults to settle our disagreements and arguments. We did that.

We walked to the busstop by ourselves.

We played Space Invaders on the Atari 2300 with the really bad graphics, lol. Also, that awful game Combat, lol.

Sometimes we fell and scraped our knees. Then we went inside and applied the antiseptic spray, ointment and bandaids ourselves.

There was a smoking section at my high school.

Since there were only five channels on TV (before cable), sometimes out of desperation we would watch UHF

I remember listening to shows ON THE RADIO.

We rode bikes without helmets, rode in cars without carseats and didn't wear seatbelts.

I didn't know ANY kid who had a peanut allergy.

I didn't know ANY kid with ADD or ADHD or autism.

I only knew one obese kid, and he had endocrine problems.

No one I knew was driven to elementary school by their parents. We either rode the school bus, or walked.

Brooke Shields didn't let anything come between her and her Calvin Klein's

We held and played with "sparklers" for the bicentennial in 1976.

We went to birthday parties at the roller rink and skated to ABBA.

We did our own college applications.

We went and got jobs as soon as we could get working papers.

We drank milk at dinner, not soda.

Our parents didn't interfere at school. Period. If the teacher doled out discipline, we must have done something to deserve it. Got a bad grade? Must not have studied or done the work. We took the consequences when we didn't do what we were supposed to.

We had chores to do, and we weren't bribed to do them. We were expected to do them and if we didn't, we couldn't play outside with our friends.

Yes, things were very, very different.

You took mine . Do you remember almost killing yourself when the rubber on the bottem of the Dr. Scholl's wore off and you were left walking on some hard plastic. When I got alittle older my mom bought me Candie's basically Dr. Scholl's with high heels.

I'm also convinced that the reason I am not a good cook is that my mom refused to buy me an easy bake oven. She thought I'd get burned from the light bulb inside.

Shrinky Dinks (funny I couldn't play with a light bulb in a play oven but could help use the real oven for shrinky dinks)???

Colorforms

Jelly Shoes

Banana bike Seats

Using Sun In and turning my hair a nice shade of orange/blond/brown

 

[njcarita]

You took mine .I'm also convinced that the reason I am not a good cook is that my mom refused to buy me an easy bake oven. She thought I'd get burned from the light bulb inside.

I have a confession--- " I burned myself on the lightbulb inside the easy bake oven"------ Man that was a nasty burn--- I remember it over 30 years later.

 

[njcarita]

remember these

 

[hsmamato2]

Little house on the prairie was the HEIGHT of t.v.....(my kids hate it)
We sprayed lemon juice in our hair and sat in the sun for highlights,oil on our skin so we'd tan-
Driving cross counrty for a month in the backseat of dads hornet,the wagon seat flipped down flat so we could just lounge and play for all those miles( traveling is SO different for kids now)
riding bikes everywhere in the neighborhood and playing,with NO helmets(gasp)

 

[disnutt]

Riding my bike for hours without a helmet, or sunscreen and barefoot

Speaking of barefoot-going almost everywhere barefoot in the summer!

Playing w/ my neighbor's Tonka trucks made out of cut and rolled metal. Some of those edges would be pretty sharp!

'Smoking' candy cigarettes

Playing cops and robbers and cowboys and Indians with cap guns and ropes and not actually killing anyone-ever.

Making Jiffy Pop on the stove top and not in a microwave bag

Actually having to mix my Kool Aid w/ sugar and not having it premade in a plastic bottle or with an artificial sweetner.

Only having cartoons available for a few short hours on Saturday morning. Then actually being glad when they were done because everyone would be outside playing.

Returning our weekly carton (what was it an 8 pack?) of Coke glass bottles to get the refund and our new carton. Only one carton per week! What a treat! Coke tasted better then!

Also, looking on the bottom of the Coke bottles to see the city they were made in and how far they had travelled to get to you!

Not being able to go shopping on Sunday because everything was closed anyway. So just hanging out with friends and family after a wonderful afternoon dinner.

Getting the roof of your mouth cut to shreds by Quisp, King Vitamin or some other cereal that had the guts to admit that sugar was it's primary ingredient.

Having my parents not attend many of my school events/games/practices. Most parents didn't go to practices unless they were coaching. I usually rode my bike or carpooled w/ other kids.

 

[mommiepoppins]

I miss
1. sitting on a bucket that my dad used for me as a seat in his van
2 tanning as a teenager with babyoil
3 going to the drive in movies
4 playing with the tin ash trays at Mc Donalds

 

[hsmamato2]

oooh, the old cartoons? watch Boomerang channel, it's all old cartoons! I rejoiced to introduce my kids the Superfriends of my childhood! (they're actually watching right now)

 

[marcyinPA]

........... I miss from my childhood

1) sticking to the plastic covers on the sofa

2) almost being blinded by the glass balls on click clacks.

3) frying on the beach cause we didn't know what "spf" was-- we used tanning oils.


Really was great growing up in the 60's and 70's

I'll never forget the strong, pungent smell of Noxema! Being a fair-skinned redhead, I had my share of the thick white stuff slathered on my back as a kid!

 

[vsimeone]

I have a confession--- " I burned myself on the lightbulb inside the easy bake oven"------ Man that was a nasty burn--- I remember it over 30 years later.

Oh Tag Fairy.....

 

[marcyinPA]

-Banana seat bikes with plastic wicker baskets (white with colored flowers stuck on it)! No helmets! And you could leave your bike out all night long on your front lawn and nobody would touch it. It would still be in the same place in the morning.

-Plugging in the record player through the basement windows so we could play our 45's outside and put on shows!

-Playing EVERYTHING outside: Barbies, babies, bikes, etc. We were never inside in the summer. (it was too hot anyway...we didn't have air conditioning back then!)

-Walking home from school, about 2 miles, across busy streets and intersections, in first grade: without an adult

-Playing with all of the neighborhood kids....unorganized, no playdates. You just went to someone's house, rang the bell, and asked them to play. Better yet, they were all outside anyway, so you just went over and started playing!

-Donnie and Marie, Charlies Angels, Captain and Tennile,....and many more!

-Hitting the tennis ball against the side of the house with the wooden tennis racket!

- Romper Room and Captain Kangaroo

-begging my parents for cable t.v. so I could watch the Flinstones!

-Watching Mike Douglass and Merv Griffin with my mom

Ah, the 70's! The good ol' days!

 

[Misty89]

I read this an hour ago and i have not thinking about it - so here is my reply.
I remember all the things listed, my fondest memory is when i was going into 9th grade, riding my bike across town( 8 miles) to get to the quarry to swim when it opened at 10am, and stay all day everyday of summer, then riding my bike back home do be home in time for dinner. I gasp at that thought now that i am older, & Lazy LOL

but the reason i have thought about this post since i read it an hour ago is WHY is it so hard to let our children do the same things we did?? I am not looking for a debate, but i am unsure i would let my DD who is 15 ride her bike to the quarry? why is it that once we are parents, we are afraid to let our children explore and have a great summer?
I also have an 8 YO that i worry about constantly.......where she is, is she hurt....etc. WHY>?
seems like a double standard and it's driving me nutz......I used to ride my bike all over, all day and really i must admit I had 2 run in's with cars ( no serious injury) but my mom still let me ride my bike around the block. Again i GASP when DD8 ask's to ride around the block ( i see visions of cars in the alley not stopping )

am i an uptight mom? I don't want to be

 

[Youarehere]

Little house on the prairie was the HEIGHT of t.v.....(my kids hate it)
We sprayed lemon juice in our hair and sat in the sun for highlights,oil on our skin so we'd tan-
Driving cross counrty for a month in the backseat of dads hornet,the wagon seat flipped down flat so we could just lounge and play for all those miles( traveling is SO different for kids now)
riding bikes everywhere in the neighborhood and playing,with NO helmets(gasp)

I almost feel bad for them. I remember Dad & Step Mom loading us 6 kids in the back of the big green van for 3-4 hour rides to Great Adventure/Traction Park. It had no seats- it basically had a full sized bed in the back. We would sit indian style in a circle and play cards or board games the whole way. For ha-ha's, Dad would do a break check- whoever the poor soul was that had their back to the front of the van went tumbling backwards onto the carpeted floor. Great fun.