What was it like, when you were a kid?

[lowry075]

I was outside all the time to play, video games existed, but I didn't have an "Intelevision" or "Atari." I could play outside without supervision. Some of my toys were made out or wood or metal, and I never was hurt by playing with them. I bought "Garbage Pail Kids" from the ice cream man on Sundays, and I remember when MTV came out and acvtually played MUSIC videos all the time. (What a concept).

I miss my childhood because I think the world I am raising my children in is not as nice as it was when I was little.

Nice thread idea, it's good to remember.

 

[yomama]

I forgot about sleeping outside. That was fun. I also remember being so dirty, all the time from playing outside, lol! And I hated taking baths. I remeber being kind of looked down upon, because we were the only kids in the neighborhood whos parents were divorced. It wasn't as "normal" as it is now.

 

[fuzziebutt]

When I grew up, child abuse was still legal. Not just at home, but at school, too. There were no foster homes, if you didn't like getting a beating, then you learned to behave and to be quiet. And play outside alot.

 

[Fierlin1182]

When I was younger, there was no Facebook or Youtube. There weren't even flat screened computers, or at least among us regular citizens. I've never been able to latch onto the whole technology craze kids seem to get involved in from ever-younger ages: even now, I don't even have a mobile, let alone those fancy iPhone version what've you got now.

We had video games though. I was into those, aside from running around outdoors with my friends.
Although we'd play video games outdoors too, which was kind of cheating.

 

[Nitrous]

When I was in college, I ran across a huge group of kids, here in Idaho, who had no idea what "tag" was. I taught them team tag and they ran themselves into the ground. Sent them home FILTHY! As far as I know, it caught on, in that school.

 

[Fierlin1182]

I love Tag. Always did love it, so I suppose I just caught onto the end of that era.

 

[Nitrous]

ray's two cents :

I love Tag. Always did love it, so I suppose I just caught onto the end of that era.

I am pretty sure if adults still played it, we'd all be skinny still. And whose idea was it to tell kids not to run everywhere? I still get that urge and some part of me fights it down! I'm 43 years OLD! Why walk out to the car, when you could RUN?!?!​

 

[Fierlin1182]

Sometimes I break into spontaneous sprinting too. It isn't often I get to feel the wind in my hair nowadays.

Once took a young friend for a run around an empty parking lot to explain the meaning of "spontaneity".

 

[Baymule]

Hmm.... lots of remembering "old" times. I remember segregation. I didn't understand why there was seperate bathrooms, schools, restaurants, even water fountains. I wasn't raised to be racist, so these things were a puzzle to me. I went to all white schools, it wasn't until I was in high school that there was black kids in our schools. What was the big deal? We were all friends. Geez.....what took so long? I am glad now that people get along better and there isn't such a racial division. For the younger folks, go to a restaurant now and you will see a mixed crowd. When I was a child, the only blacks (and they weren't called black, either) in a white restaurant were the cooks or busboys. Gas filling stations had 3 bathrooms on the side of the building, or at least the better ones did. Male, Female and Other. The not so good filling stations wouldn't even let anyone other than whites use their bathrooms. America is a much better place with no segregation. Anybody can become anything they want to, can go to any school, can shop in any store, can eat in any restaurant, can use any bathroom, can drink from any water fountain, can work any job, can be treated in any hospital......... Just imagine if your classmates were split up into different schools because of the color of their skin. How preposterous.

Sammy Davis Jr. was a famous black singer and performer. He headlined acts in Las Vegas........but couldn't sleep in the hotel rooms of the casino he was performing in. Can you imagine that happening today? Not likely. People are just people, whether white, black, brown, red, purple, green or plaid. It just doesn't matter. Yes, it is a better world today than it was when I was a child.

 

[yomama]

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