Past to Present

A Change in Time

            Years have gone by, and a lot of time has passed since the summer of 1960, a time when things were simple and living was easy. The large Cokes were fifteen cents, a large Baby Ruth candy bar was ten cents, and butter cookies were two for a penny. Those really were the good old days.

            Back then parents never had to worry when their children went outside to play with other children, because there was always at least one parent watching to make sure they stayed out of trouble, and if they didn’t behave, they would get a spanking and be sent home. Parents had that right back then, but not today, in these times with today’s children. (Try spanking someone else’s child today, and see what happens!) It’s not clear how our parents got the news of our misbehaving so quickly, but they did. They must have communicated by drums, because we did not have telephones or cell phones back then. I remember just moments after getting home, we got spanked again. We were children; therefore we stayed in a child’s place. We never got angry or talked back to the other parents.

            Our town was such a safe little town to grow up in. As children, we liked playing outside after dark, and our parents were never afraid for us. Our mothers sat on the porch and did whatever it was that mothers did to pass the time. And they would let us play until we were tired. They would then bathe us and put us to bed. Oftentimes the doors were even left unlocked, and we still felt safe.

            Children who grew up in the sixties were taught to have respect for their elders. We knew when to say “yes, ma’am” and “yes, sir,” and talking back was nothing a child would do back then. We were too afraid of our parents; if you did talk back, you would get slapped in the mouth.

            Growing up with other children was fun, but you didn’t always agree on things, which would sometimes lead to fights. The fights were fair fights, and there were never any knives or guns carried at home or to school. When a fight was over, the principal would call the parent to take the child home for the rest of the day. It was never a call to tell a parent that his child was dead or in the hospital, which is what happens at most schools today.