When I was born we didn't have television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. There were no credit cards, radar, laser beams or even ballpoint pens.
Air conditioners, dishwashers, microwave ovens, and clothes dryers were not yet invented. Clothes were hung on the line to dry in fresh air. The moon was something to look at, not walk on.
Your grandmother and I got married first, and then lived together. Just about every family had a father and a mother. Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir" and every woman "Ma'am" after I turned 25, I continue to call police officers, officials and every person with a title, by their title, "Sir." or "Ma'am." We were around before computer dating, dual careers, daycare centers, gay-rights, and group therapy.
The Ten Commandments, good judgment and common sense governed our lives. We were taught the difference between right and wrong, and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Living in America was a privilege; and serving America was an honor. We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your neighbors. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze started. Time-sharing meant time that a family spent together in the evenings and weekends - not renting or purchasing vacation condominiums.
We never heard of yogurt, FM radios, tape decks, CDs or even electric typewriters - let alone computers, or earrings for males, or tattoos for females. We listened to the 'Grand Ole Opry', Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on radio. And, I don't remember any kid ever blowing his brains out, after 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 a nickel or a dime! 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 & 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? And, that's too bad, because gas was just 11 cents a gallon then. If you were lucky, a friend had a car and everyone chipped in coins for gas and you drove to a restaurant for a 5 cent cup of coffee and a nickel donut.
In our 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 stuff 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 wonder people call us 'old and confused', and say there is a generation gap...
I was born in 1944, so that makes me 64 years old.
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