Memories of Growing Up in the 40's and 50's (and since, even)

email | 1/4/01 (this time) | Unknown

[Dakotabound]

"Hey Dad," My Son asked the other day, "what was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?"

"We didn't have fast food when I was growing up."

"C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?"

"We ate at home," I explained. "Your Grandma cooked every day and when your Grandpa got home from work, we all sat down together at the table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I had to sit there until I did like it." By this time, my Son was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer some serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to get my Father's permission to leave the table.

Here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I had figured his system could handle it.

My parents never: wore Levi's, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of the country, flew in a plane or had a credit card. In their later years they had something called a "revolving charge card" but they never actually used it. It was only good at Sears-Roebuck. Or maybe it was Sears and Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore.

My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was because soccer back then was just for the girls. We actually did walk to school. By the time you were in the 6th grade it was not cool to ride the bus unless you lived more than 4 or 5 miles from the school, even when it was raining or there was ice or snow on the ground.

Outdoor sports consisted of stickball, snowball fights, building forts, making snowmen and sliding down hills on a piece of cardboard. No skate boards, roller blades or trail bikes.

We didn't have a television in our house until I was 12. It was, of course, black and white, but you could buy a piece of special colored plastic to cover the screen. The top third was blue, like the sky, and the bottom third was green, like grass. The middle third was red. It was perfect for programs that had scenes of fire trucks riding across someone's lawn on a sunny day.

I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza. It was a Sam's Pizza at the East end of Fruit Street in Milford. My friend, Steve took me there to try what he called "pizza pie." When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down and plastered itself against my chin. It's still the best pizza I ever had.

Pizzas were not delivered to your house back then, but the milk was. I looked forward to winter because the cream in the milk was on top of the bottle and it would freeze and push the cap off. Of course us kids would get up first to get the milk and eat the frozen cream before our mother could catch us.

I never had a telephone in my room. Actually the only phone in the house was in the hallway and it was on a party line. Before you could make a call, you had to listen in to make sure someone else wasn't already using the line. If the line was not in use an Operator would come on and ask "number please" and you would give her the number you wanted to call.

There was no such thing as a computer or a hand held calculator. We were required to memorize the "times tables." Believe it or not, we were tested each week on our ability to perform mathematics with nothing but a pencil and paper. We took a spelling test every day. There was no such thing as a "social promotion." If you flunked a class, you repeated that grade the following year. Nobody was concerned about your "self esteem." We had to actually do something praiseworthy before we were praised. We learned that you had to earn respect.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and most all boys delivered newspapers. I delivered the "Milford Daily News" six days a week. It cost 7 cents a paper, of which I got to keep 2 cents. On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers. My favorite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change. My least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

Movie stars kissed with their mouths shut on screen. Touching someone else's tongue with yours was called French kissing and they just didn't do that in the movies back then. I had no idea what they did in French movies. French movies were considered dirty and we weren't allowed to see them.

You never saw the Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers or anyone else actual kill someone. The heroes back then would just shoot the gun out of the bad guys hand. There was no blood and violence.

When you were sick, the Doctor actually came to your house. No, I am not making this up. Drugs were something you purchased at a pharmacy in order to cure an illness.

If we dared to "sass" our parents, or any other grown-up, we immediately found out what soap tasted like. For more serious infractions, we learned about something called a "this hurts me more than it hurts you." I never did quite understand that one?

In those days, parents were expected to discipline their kids. There was no interference from the government. "Social Services" or "Family Services" had not been invented (The ninth and tenth amendments to the constitution were still observed in those days.)

I must be getting old because I find myself reflecting back more and more and thinking I liked it a lot better back then. If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your kids or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they wet themselves laughing. Growing up today sure ain't what it used to be.

[Dusty Rose]

I remember the Buster Browns, and also those x-ray machines...you stood on the platform with your feet inside the machine, press the button on top and you'd look at x-ray pictures of your feet to see how they fit into those new shoes.

[VMI70]

We had Hot Shoppes in Washington. I think McDonalds bought them out.
They had something like a present day Big Mac, that along with fries and an orange freeze was something like a buck and a half, and you got to keep the orange freeze glass if you wanted to.

[Conservababe]

Maybe we should start a "47 Caucus!" Count me in.

An idea, yes. From the sheer numbers of us, we must have some clout.

[Texican]

Fitz:
You are right, we lived in Flagstaff Az when I was about 8 or 9 and it was winter. We put cardboard in our shoes and walked to school. Then we would take out dry cardboard and put in the shoes. By the time we went home we would change that cardboard three times. I remember also living in Texas, and having the "itch". We had to take baths in a copper sulphate soulation of some kind. It was really bad. While we lived in Texas, the snow would pile up all the way to the roof on the north side of the house. I don't want to return to those days myself. I still think we now live in the best of times. (if only we could get rid of some of the democrats.)

The very best to you and yours.

Semper Fi
Tommie

[Mears]

We only went out once or twice a year,we had nothing,but generous relatives (with not much more money than we had),gave us a treat once in a while.

This was the forties in a neighborhood in Boston and no one had much but I still have pleasant memories of those days.

[hardhead]

I don't normally recommend anyone spend money, but if you EVER have the chance, read a series of books called 'Stories and Recipes of the Great Depression of the 1930s'. Not only are the recipes good and 'frugal' but they are interlaced with stories on how the people got by. The book was written by Rita Van Amber and is now managed by her daughter Janet Van Amber Paske. In the inside cover of the cookbook it gives an address and phone number. I GORONTEE you will not be disatisfied with the books. If you can read them wihout bawling, you are one strong SOB! Van Amber Publishers, 862 E. Cecil Street, Neenah, WI 54956 - (920) 722-8357. It will make you appreciate your parents and grandparents more and what they sacrificed to make the country better.

[Mears]

The ice man was also a pleasant memory.All the boys would jump on the back of the truck and take chunks of ice when the man was inside filling the old ice boxes.

[RnMomof7]

Your mom and I agree we do only Butter ..once you see oleo sans color..you desire butter:>)

[mountaineer]

Wow, how to describe a mangle. The ones we had were operated sitting down. The mangle had a big padded cloth-covered roller and a metal plate that curved to the roller's contours. The item of clothing was placed between the roller and the hot plate and, using knee controls, you caused the roller to press down on the clothing. The roller would turn, and the person operating it would control the direction of the piece of clothing. It was a real art to make the roller go up and down while turning the shirt, for example, without causing any unwanted creases. Here's what they look like:

[RnMomof7]

I too remember the ice man

It used to be your life was touched by all sorts of people . There were all those folks that brought stuff to you..ice, fruits,bread and milk..there was Jewel tea man and the fuller brush man..

You got to know these people ..kids today have no such touch stone..

When I grew up we had a neighborhood food store that was in a 10 x 12 store front, a butcher and a baker ..we knew all their names..We got all dressed up to go "downtown " to pay bills and shop

Fond memories of many people now gone

[maestro]

Hardhead,..Thanks,...I'll see if I can get em!

Willie,...o.k.,...how about 'Mushmouth' and 'The Kielbasa Kid'...?....(Cleveland T.V.)

:-)

[computerjunkie]

Wow! Forgot about that!! Remember "Spoolies"? Those little pink things we used to curl our hair? I will NEVER know how we managed to sleep on those things!!

And, yep...I'm one of the group!!

[maestro]

Hardhead,..Thanks,...I'll see if I can get em!

Willie,...o.k.,...how about 'Mushmouth' and 'The Kielbasa Kid'...?....(Cleveland T.V.)

:-)

[don-o]

We got all dressed up to go "downtown " to pay bills and shop

We lived "downtown" and I remember being slightly amused that my Grandmother got herself all decked out for her Saturday foray.

She always wore a hat as well.

[wardaddy]

I remember seeing those. We had another White Castle style burgerette in my hometown aside from Krystal which goes way back too.....they were called Dime Burgers.

I'll look to see who came first.. Krystal or White Castle.

[wardaddy]

Sounds like a fine daddy to me.

[wardaddy]

Wasn't Dairy Queen a Texas originator? Like the old Stuckeys...they were on every hwy interchange.

[OldFriend]

How sad is that......

[wardaddy]

I would like to have been there. I came of age at the end of the muscle car apex and my folks relegated me to an old MGA that I paid for.....no MOPAR 440s or SS 396 for me....sigh.