Good old days

[Lady Neysa]

I remember....

Having to go outside to physically turn the tv antennea.

Going to the local one screen .99 cent theater complete with sticky floor.
Going to the drive in movies was a big deal!

Playing outside all day and my parents not worrying.

Playing games like cops and robbers, cowboys and indians..and not being called politically incorrect. 

Building bikes from spare parts..

The simple summer joys of swimming, catching lightning bugs in a jar, or doing absolutely nothing, and not having every minute of the day structured and planned out. 

Riding my horse through a lovely tract of woods and an old gravel pit behind my grandmothers' house..where there is now an apartment complex being built. 

I remember when a kid would get hurt on their bike or whatever, mom would fix them up and out they'd go again. Nowadays it seems like any little injury warrants a trip to the nearest trauma center.

I remember..if a guy snapped a girls bra, girl would turn around and slap the snot out of him, and that would be the end of it.

I remember having to shell endless pans of peas or snapping beans fresh from the garden. Complained about it too, but now I remember it fondly. Mom cooked every day and we ate what she fixed, no special meals for picking eaters.Trips to McDonalds and the Tastee Freeze were an occasional special treat, not a daily menu item.  Back then it didn't seem like every other kid on the planet had some food allergy.  Oh, and what childhood obesity?

Goodness, I could go on and on....

[Dayna]

Super SUGAR Crisp cereal, Jello popsicles made at home, Kentucky FRIED Chicken.  Reasonably sized portions in restaurants, and no crayons and colouring books, you learned to sit quietly and behave or next time you got left home with a sitter.  If you were playing outside and you were thirsty, you drank out of the hose, and people didn't carry bottles of water everywhere unless they actually lived in the desert.

Pixie and Dixie, Road Runner, Josie and the Pussycats, Archie and the Jugheads, Tweetie and Sylvester. ElectraWoman and DynaGirl, Isis, Wonderful World of Disney on TV, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.  Porky Pig was NOT politically correct, however we also knew better than to make fun of children who stuttered.

Any adult in the neighborhood who saw you doing something you shouldn't Could and Would intervene, AND tell your mother because of course everyone looked out for everyone else's kids.  Birthday parties where you brought a gift, played games, ate cake and went home.  What's up with these Goodie Bags they have now, do children now have to be Bribed to attend a party?!!!!

Dayna

[Synnovea]

Yes, yes...good memories all.  Getting up early for Saturday morning cartoons.  Wonderful World of Disney was always a big night, Disney movies before they were "digitally remastered" or whatever.  Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom was the Animal Planet of my day.  Let's see what else I can dig up...

Sonny & Cher, Donny & Marie, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Solid Gold (with the Solid Gold Dancers!), Friday Night Videos, rollerskating rinks with the all-night skate, The Carol Burnett Show, collecting 45's, manual typewriters, console TVs (huge!), no remotes (what a concept), the first VCR that we RENTED for a treat, food that your parents actually COOKED for you (again, no room for pickiness), Live-Aid, tape recorders, riding your bike everywhere and being really cool if you clothespinned a playing card in the spokes!, friendship pins, having chores to do (with no expectation of an allowance), being able to go anywhere without your parents worrying...

Toys and games and things that you didn't have to worry about being PC (what's that?), jungle gyms and playgrounds on concrete and asphalt - not sand, metal Tonka trucks, cap guns, real Coca-Cola made with cane sugar, soda in bottles, telephone privacy only reached as far as the cord would allow, jelly jar glasses, Legos, Lincoln Logs, Tonka Toys, Matchbox cars, Battlestar Galactica (the original one), Star Wars...

that's all I gots fer now 

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

When drama TV was Dragnet, Adam 12, which were based on real stories.
Westerns like High Chapperel, Gunsmoke, Wanted Dead or Alive, Streets of Laredo, Gunsmoke (What girl didn't love Little Joe),
Reality TV was This is Your Life
Laugh In, Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (Both old and new), Original Saturday Night Live and cast
Variety shows like Flip Wilson, Glenn Campbell, Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell sisters, Dean Martin show
Love American Style,
Game shows like Beat the Clock, Lets make a deal, The Dating Game.

Pizza was home made and not delivered.
Eating out was a rare occasion even to my family who lived on the road during the summer as my dad was a Quarter Horse race trainer. Playing around the fairgrounds and race track and not having mom or dad worry.

Rodeo with out all the safety gear. You relied on your feet and your cowbell on your bull rope. Injuries in Rodeo happened and no one made a big deal about it.

Open space in the mountains without all the houseing. Forest fires not destoying homes.

But on the downside, Beer like Coors, Budwiser, Miller we had no Microbrews like O'Dells, New Belgium and many more.

[Dayna]

Soul Train, KC and the Sunshine Band, the Farrah Fawcett Flip, wearing snowpants under your skirt when you walked back and forth to school.

Chinese food = Chun King Egg Foo Yung, water was water flavoured and water coloured, ketchup was red, mustard was yellow.

Designer kids clothes = OshKosh B'Gosh, Keds, Garanimals and Sears.  Girls between 3 and 18 Did Not show their belly buttons unless they were wearing a swimming suit.  Shirts covered stomachs and pants came all the way up to the waist and were hemmed so that they did not drag on the ground.  High heels were reserved for High School formal dances.  Baseball caps pointed forwards.

Dayna

[Sir Ironhead]

Designer kids clothes = OshKosh B'Gosh, Keds, Garanimals and Sears.  Girls between 3 and 18 Did Not show their belly buttons unless they were wearing a swimming suit.  Shirts covered stomachs and pants came all the way up to the waist and were hemmed so that they did not drag on the ground.  High heels were reserved for High School formal dances.  Baseball caps pointed forwards.

Dayna

Sears also sold "Toughskins" pants.  They were the pants my mom bought for me as you could just about take a belt sander to them before they would tear.

[anne of oaktower]

Oh Wow...this is a great topic!  A lot of my fondest memories have already been posted, but here are a few that haven't been mentioned yet...

the original Batman & Robin (Adam West and ?)  I was always BatGirl (or sometimes Isis)  when we were playing, and I could out-run, out- climb, and out-ride (bikes) any boy in the neighborhood!

Big Wheels!

Bubble gum with Elvis cards inside

Charles Chips...the truck that came around with all kinds of snack foods...chips in a can, hard pretzels, candied peanuts, sponge candy, etc.

Popcorn...made on the stove in a heavy kettle...in bacon grease or lard...with real butter and salt!

riding shotgun in my uncle's orange Camaro, pretending it was the General Lee & I was Daisy Duke 

[Lady L]

I remember my Dad would watch Bonanza, but I wasn't allowed to, because my Mom thought it was too violent. 
I remember watching Dinah Shore singing "see the USA in your Chevrolet"
and the Hamms bear beer commercials. I also remember watching Monster classics on my Grandma's tv on Saturday, while my Mom worked. Oh and the Norelco santa Christmas commercials. And Andy Williams, Carol Burnett, Dick Van Dyke shows. Yes, we had 45s, and 33 1/3 records. Cars came with only AM radio stations, if you were lucky. My Grandpa drove a huge old Plymouth, with tail fins and he took my brother and me fishing. He also taught me to shoot a BB gun when I was 12, much to my Mom's chagrin. He also taught me to be kind to animals and appreciate nature.
Yes, many of the tv shows were Westerns, like Rifleman, Rawhide, Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Wild Wild West, Laredo, Big Valley, High Chaparell and there were Lassie and My Friend Flicka.
I made 50 cents an hour for babysitting. I got 25 cents a week for an allowance, which I had to save, not spend.
We had an old manual typewriter. We had one, large, black telephone, in the kitchen. My Dad had a 1955 Chevrolet Belaire, Turquoise and white. We washed it in the driveway. We did not eat at a restaurant, ever. First time I ever ate away was on a date, at the truckstop. I had no idea how to order anything. We went to church every Sunday and were not allowed to complain. We ate what my Mom cooked, like it or not and were expected to clean our plates. Rock and roll was a bad influence and I was not allowed to listen to it. I could only get WCCO and the local radio station anyway. I took piano lessons for 50 cents a half hour, every week. That was my entertainment. Movies and dancing were a "sin". No one had air conditioning, except the stores. The school dress code did not allow anyone to wear jeans. Girls had to wear skirts/dresses, even when it was minus 30 in the winter. Yeah, good plan that was.
There was no Sesame Street, I don't know of PBS even existed. If it did, our tv didnt' get it.

[renren]

Captain Kangaroo!!!
Climbing trees...how *did* I end up being afraid of heights??
Horseback riding all day, literally from sunrise to sunset....Pack a lunch, bring a rope, tie out the horses and let them have their rest and lunch, too!
Swimming in the lake, til your lips turned blue, and still prostesting having to get out!

[dbaldock]

I remember....

...
I remember having to shell endless pans of peas or snapping beans fresh from the garden. Complained about it too, but now I remember it fondly. Mom cooked every day and we ate what she fixed, no special meals for picking eaters.Trips to McDonalds and the Tastee Freeze were an occasional special treat, not a daily menu item.  Back then it didn't seem like every other kid on the planet had some food allergy.  Oh, and what childhood obesity?

Goodness, I could go on and on....

Did you have to pick the Peas/Tomatoes/Corn/Okra/Squash?  We (my younger sister & cousins) had to harvest the veggies before sitting in the swing or rocking chairs on screened porch to shell, snap, and shuck whatever needed it.     There were complaints from us too, but mainly about having to go stand in the Sun to pick the veggies (after we had been outside all day playing in the Sun). 

Take Care,
David Baldock

[Poco the Pirate]

I'm still young but I use to live in duluth and when you went to the beach on the weekends every kid was your friend. Mom would let us run around and people actually built sand castles. Daddy and I use to watch cartoons every Saturday morning and eat banana nut oatmeal. We didn't have much money so a form of entertainment was car rides and every summer we had road trips out west without DVD players. Were you would play the licenses plate games and read books and at night dad would put the back seat down so we could sleep. Cowboys and Indians was the coolest game to play with every kid at the campground and mom never worried when we left. My younger brother and I use to act out scenes from star wars during play time and kids would give us tootsie rolls for it :p  I miss those road trips.

[Amyj]

And for those of us in St. Louis... Chuck-A-Burger!  That was THE place to be after a car show.  They finally closed the last one on the Rock Road a few years ago.  I think I shed a tear when I heard about it.  *sniffle*

Hun...never fear...the Rock Road Chuck-A-Burger is still open (or was as of last week at least)!!!  I heard that they were closing on Dec 31, but still see cars there....AND....wait for it....there is a NEW, yes, NEW one at 370 and Elm Point Road (where I used to be able to ride my bike no-handed on the long stretch of road by the industrial park...it was the end of civilization then....until you got to Boschertown race park that was)!!!! 


I havent finished reading the rest but...

Battle of the Planets (and playing it in the front yard)

Having to come in when the street lamps came on...until after we were 10, then we could play flashlight tag

Bell-bottom, crinkle cotton, ruffle halter-top, one piece pantsuits.  I had 2 and they were my favorite thing to wear (when I wasn't being a tomboy)

Sunday night was Dad's night to cook, which meant, spaghetti, Pizza or pork steaks in front of the TV watching Wonderful World of Disney (and getting really frustrated when the football game ran long and postponed the start)

The spinning, multi-colored "Special" that let you know a "special presentation" was coming up...and ALWAYS craving Dolly Madison snack cakes after seeing the commercial during the Peanuts show!!!

our Big Wheel not being really cool until it had the dent in the tire.

Camping out in the back yard with friends and being able to have a campfire that WE got to tend/mess with.

Oh, and...ahem, "American League Umpire!!!!!!  "  (Once Debuched, you will get that one won't you!)

So much more....If I could pick any age to be, I think it would be 10...back then

[Capt Gabriela Fullpepper]

Playing Kick-the-Can with the other neighborhod kids even into the dark, or Hide-and-Seek, Jump rope with my sister and her friends, Playing Army with my brother and his friends even wading in small iragation ditches as we sneaked through "Enemy Lines" Making toy guns from pieces of wood and cutting them out into the shape of our favorites.

Having a tree house and pretending we were pirates. Or playing house with my sister.

Toys like Johnny West, Original GI Joes, Lego's were you had to use your imagination to make something instead of having a kit that ws shaped to make something. My mom actually worked at a Lego factory for a few months and she could buy a bag of thousands for $10 which was a ton of money for us. Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets and if you where lucky you had a little electric motor to add to it. Hot Wheels, Hot Wheels Sizzlers (Little battery powered cars that ran so fast on the hot wheels tracks), Slot Cars, Carrie Doll that you could change her hair length (My mom still has my sisters),

[Lady Amy of York]

some great memories  have been listed here. Enjoyed reading them all.  Saw things  i had totally forgotten about. Makes you  wonder  what our own kids    will write  down some  day  as  their  favorite  memories. Hopefully they are as good  as  ours.


The good old days.... hmmm..lets see....
    - when  neighbors   would  wave hello  to  each other and  stop  and talk  to each other
    - when neighbors  would  help each  other out
     -- when neighbors  would greet  the  new person   who just  moved  into  the neighborhood.   ( i have  been  in my neighborhood  2 years now, and i still have neighbors  who won't  say boo to me,  despite my attempts  to say hello !  I  do shower everyday ! ROFL  ! Hmm..maybe it's  the pirate outfit !   )

      --w hen parents  would  sit on the  front porch talking  to other parents   why  the kids  played  kickball  or  baseball.  (  do kids even know  what kickball is  nowadays  ?) 

        - standing on the corner with my friends  with two quarters in  my hand  waiting  for  the  icecream  truck 

          -  fireworks  celebrations, picnics, and  home  made icecream

            -   divorce  was   a rare  word

            -   AIDS-what is  that ?

            -    drugs  were something  you were prescribed  by  your doctor  when you were sick  .

               -  Sports  figures, and  celebrity's  were people   you could  seriously call your  idols  .

               -  there were  no wars    going  on 

               -- Patriotism was strong  in this  country.

                _ People  flew  the American flag and  were proud  to say  they live  in America. 

                _ you were not afraid   to travel and c all yourself  an  American

                 -   People were not always in a hurry. There was less stress, and  people  were more civil  to each  other.

                  _ A person at  the mall  would  hold  the  door open  for  you

                    - decent family shows  on  TV

                    - 45 records  and  8 track  tapes  !

                     - there was no Paris Hilton, Brittney Spears,  Lindsy  Lohan, and  Brad  and  Angelina.  Enough with them already  !   

                    -when kids  would  use their  imaginations  instead of having  toys  and  gadgets  that do everything  for  them. 

                 -when you could  walk  into a movie theatre  and  watch a movie  without  someone's  cellphone  ringing.

              - i think we had better morals, better values, and higher standards  of living  years  ago.

    I  could  go  on and on...but enough said....not that life today  is  all bad...i  am happy for  every day  i  am  alive,  but yes   there were deffinitely   some  good  old  days.

[Lady Neysa]

Did you have to pick the Peas/Tomatoes/Corn/Okra/Squash?  We (my younger sister & cousins) had to harvest the veggies before sitting in the swing or rocking chairs on screened porch to shell, snap, and shuck whatever needed it.     There were complaints from us too, but mainly about having to go stand in the Sun to pick the veggies (after we had been outside all day playing in the Sun). 

Take Care,
David Baldock

Yup, we had to pick stuff too, with constant reminders not to trample anything.  "Yes, we know mom." 
To this day, I'm still not overly fond of fried squash, cause we had it all the time.  That and an interesting concoction my mom made with surplus tomatoes she called tomato gravy. I didn't like it much as a kid, but I'd like to try it again.