For many of us Generation Xers, the “good old days” came in the 70s and 80s while we were growing up. Never mind the fact that many of our families were being broken up by divorce, or that we had a legitimate fear that nukes would be dropped on our heads by Russia. Kids are resilient and Gen X kids were especially so.
We made the best of what we had, and generally we were not raised to believe the world would hand us anything on a silver platter. Most of us were given an allowance of some amount, but that had to be earned by doing specific daily or weekly chores around the house. Not that there weren’t some exceptions, because if your favorite aunt or uncle came to town, or grandma and grandpa wanted to spend time with you, you could usually charm them into giving you .50 cents, maybe even a dollar. Back then, that money could actually buy you something, or at least get you a couple of tries on the pinball machine.
I miss those days sometimes; when it was ok to go outside and play until dark, when there were no cell phones attached to our ears and we were able to just be kids and enjoy not having some great responsibilities. Remember rushing home from school so we could watch the newest After School Special? Sure they were totally cheesy even while tackling serious issues, but they were a big part of our youth. How many of you spent summer days making sno-cones from your Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine? I know I did. Yes the sno-cones were difficult to make and they were tiny as can be, but hey, on the days that the ice cream truck didn’t make it down your street, Snoopy came to the rescue!
Kids today have so much more available to them, but I don’t think it is necessarily a good thing. Violent video games, 8-year-olds carrying cell phones, and kids staying inside all day because parents are afraid they will be snatched up, leaves me more thankful then ever that my childhood was in the 70s and 80s. Give me “School House Rock”, Shrinky Dinks, and playing tag outside with my friends, those memories are priceless.
What are some of your favorite childhood memories? Are you glad you grew up in the 70s and 80s or would you rather have been a kid today? Why?
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