My sister Mary posted this old picture of our parents on her facebook page last week. My dad was in the Seabees during World War II, building airstrips, barracks, bridges and the like in the Pacific Theatre. This photo was probably taken when he was on leave, early 1945, when I was conceived. I was born in November of that year, just a month or two after the war ended. I was an original baby boomer.
My parents grew up in a different time. Growing up I heard them say things like: “When I was your age: we didn’t have indoor toilets … we had to pump water from a well … we had to milk cows and gather eggs before breakfast … we had to walk five miles to school.” It all sounded like ancient history to me.
Now my history is ancient, too.
How many of these can you relate to? They were all true when I was growing up:
- We couldn’t drive into town for a fast food meal because there were no fast food restaurants.
- Mothers who worked outside the home were considered irresponsible.
- TV sets were considered furniture and they were available in black and white only.
- And it went off the air at midnight.
- And there were only 3 channels.
- Pizza was called “Pizza Pie.”
- And it wasn’t delivered to your house.
- But milk was.
- And milk bottles had little cardboard stoppers in them.
- Newspapers were delivered by paper boys.
- There were no movie ratings because all movies were more or less G-rated.
- But Christians still didn’t go to them because they were “worldly.”
- Christians didn’t go to bowling alleys either.
- Or to school dances.
- But we could buy candy cigarettes.
- And little bottles of Coke made out of wax.
- Coke machines dispensed glass bottles.
- Music was purchased on 45 rpm records.
- Roller skates had keys.
- There was only one phone in the house.
- And it was on a “party line” so you had to make sure a neighbor wasn’t using it.
- We saved S&H Green Stamps.
- Nobody ever asked “paper or plastic?”
- We could take toy guns to school.
- Ice trays were made of metal.
- Cameras had blue flash bulbs.
- Clothes were dried on a clothesline.
- Wash tubs had wooden rollers for rinsing clothes.
Ancient history, indeed. One of these days your life will become ancient history too. Enjoy it now … while you can!
