How old is Grandpa???
One
evening a grandson was
talking to his grandfather about current events.
The
grandson asked his
grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the
computer age,
and just things in general.
The
Grandfather replied,
"Well, let me think a minute, I was born before: television,
Penicillin,
polio shots,
frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill.
There were no: credit cards, laser
beams or ball-point pens.Man had not invented:
Pantyhose,
air conditioners,
dishwashers, clothes dryers, the clothes were hung out to dry in the
fresh air
and man hadn't yet walked on the moon.
Your
Grandmother and I got
married first and then lived together. Every family had a father and a
mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir". And after I
turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title,
"Sir." We were born before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers,
daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten
Commandments, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know
the
difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take
responsibility for
our actions. We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a
meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. Draft
dodgers
were people who closed their front doors when the evening breeze
started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and
weekends-not purchasing condominiums.
We
never heard of FM radios,
tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing
earrings. We
listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on
our
radios. And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out
listening to
Tommy Dorsey. If you saw anything with 'Made in
Pizza
Hut, McDonald's, and
instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 &10-cent stores where
you could
actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice-cream cones, phone calls,
rides on
a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And
if you didn't want to
splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter
and 2
postcards. You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, . . . But who
could afford
one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In
my day: "grass"
was mowed, “coke" was a cold drink, "pot" was something your
mother cooked in and "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
"Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office, " chip" meant
a piece of wood, "hardware" was found in a hardware store and
"software" wasn't even a word.And we were the last generation to
actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby. No wonder
people
call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap... And