Life Today vs. "The Good Ole Days"

[gingerlover]

This is why the wife always wants our vacations to be cruises. When there's no reception or the cost to respond is outrageous, there is no choice but to leave the phone locked in a safe in the room 24/7.

To be honest, I don't miss the phone for a second. It's glorious. Highly recommended.

yep. I remember on our last one i had my VM setup to tell them who to call while i was out, plus the auto email reply. when i turned it back on it still had about 15 VM

 

[ThreatMatrix]

I prefer land lines and answering machines. but I can't remember how we got a long with out cell phones particularly when it comes to meeting people at pre prescribed locations. Or keeping track of my Teenage kids who all have tracker apps on their phones and I know where they are at all times. I hate email in general as I have 5 different emails and probably 1000 unopened on all of them. I wake up everyday with 3-4 texts on my phones from either employees or children wanting something - can it wait until you see me damn it. Back in the day I liked to have a TV guide. Growing up my favorite things was to get the sports section as see the baseball standings and read the box scores. Of course you did that over breakfast and a cup of coffee.
Did anybody else use the trick that if you wanted to call your parents LD you'd call collect and theyd know it was you so they'd turn around and call you back for cheaper.
And of course u'r not always connected to a keyboard. I wonder what I would do with my life if I wasn't if I put the laptop down.
The other downside I see is that I would be mortified if everything I did in my 20's was cataloged somewhere in FB just waiting for the most inappropriate time to pop up it's head.

 

[playzwtrux]

I was thinking about the good ole days yesterday, but in a different way. I took 3 of my kids to a nearby town about 20-25 driving minutes away. we ate lunch at the house after church about 1:15 and it's now about 4:45 and we're on our way home. my 9 y/o starts to ask for something to eat because even though he ate a good meal 3.5 hours earlier, he's starving to death, begging and pleading for me to stop and get him something.

as we pass by numerous restaurants and fast food joints, I continue to tell him that he can wait until we get home for a snack because dinner is just around the corner. I could have easily stopped about anywhere and bought him something because I have the resources to do so, but thinking back to when I was his age, we almost never ate out like that. my best chance was a soda & some peanuts from a "convenience store".

Mind you that I'm 44, and I grew up in the age when all the fast food joints were exploding onto the scenes (I think McD's had only served millions then), but we didn't have the $ to afford them. if I ever asked, the answer was almost always NO, but I believe that I've conditioned my kids that it's OK to stop and get something to eat about anywhere, just by doing it over & over. now, if I say no, I'm doing them some kind of injustice by making them wait a few minutes until we get home where the cupboards are always full with just about anything they could want (unlike when I was a kid, and there were 1, or maybe 2 choices, and both required I make it, cause mom felt like we needed to know how to take care of ourselves and not depend on others).

I've heard this anecdote about the good ole days from an "old timer"

I remember the good ole days when a coke cost a dime and I couldn't buy one. now they're a buck and a half and I can buy all I want. What was so good about that?

 

[TLB]

...and both required I make it, cause mom felt like we needed to know how to take care of ourselves and not depend on others).

I've been making it a point for the past few years to NOT do things for my kids (ages 8 and 10). But I take the time to explain to them it isn't that I'm lazy, or don't think they should have it*. It is more that I want them to take care of themselves. I'm amazed that my 8yr old has a friend down the street that struggles to tie her own shoes, buckle herself in, or close the damn door when getting in/out of a car...but I watch her parents do everything for her.

My 10 yr old gets help draining the pot of boiling water when making her own spaghetti, for safety reasons, but otherwise she does it all herself. My 8 yr old gets the grocery list from me and leads me through the store finding what aisle we need, which product to get, and we discuss why we get one product over another.

When I explain the 'why' of making them do things for themselves, I generally get less eye rolls or complaints. There are times when they realize it just isn't worth doing (but for some reason it was worth asking someone to do it for them? GTFO).



* There are times I get down into asking 'is this a smart choice'. Mostly because I don't just want them able to 'do for themselves' but because I want them to also be able to 'think for themselves'. This is starting to show benefits as well. For example, I'm diabetic, and (usually) watch what I eat. My daughter is a bit overweight, so I had a conversation with her about how I manage my diet - primarily with calories, and secondarily with what makes up those calories. On Saturday, we had a Daddy-Daughter day, and before I woke up, she presented me with a paper where she read the cereal box from breakfast and worked out her calories, googled the restaurant she picked for our 'dinner date' and what she planned to order and the calories it entailed. She was asking me where we were going for lunch so she could plan accordingly. It's not consistent (neither am I), but it shows she can do it, she can think for herself. She used the family PC to look up dinner, but I showed her an app I use on my iPhone for tracking meals ;)

 

[Zambo]

My niece is 7 and she still uses a pacifier.

 

[bradgator2]

I was thinking about the good ole days yesterday, but in a different way. I took 3 of my kids to a nearby town about 20-25 driving minutes away. we ate lunch at the house after church about 1:15 and it's now about 4:45 and we're on our way home. my 9 y/o starts to ask for something to eat because even though he ate a good meal 3.5 hours earlier, he's starving to death, begging and pleading for me to stop and get him something.

as we pass by numerous restaurants and fast food joints, I continue to tell him that he can wait until we get home for a snack because dinner is just around the corner. I could have easily stopped about anywhere and bought him something because I have the resources to do so, but thinking back to when I was his age, we almost never ate out like that. my best chance was a soda & some peanuts from a "convenience store".

Mind you that I'm 44, and I grew up in the age when all the fast food joints were exploding onto the scenes (I think McD's had only served millions then), but we didn't have the $ to afford them. if I ever asked, the answer was almost always NO, but I believe that I've conditioned my kids that it's OK to stop and get something to eat about anywhere, just by doing it over & over. now, if I say no, I'm doing them some kind of injustice by making them wait a few minutes until we get home where the cupboards are always full with just about anything they could want (unlike when I was a kid, and there were 1, or maybe 2 choices, and both required I make it, cause mom felt like we needed to know how to take care of ourselves and not depend on others).

I've heard this anecdote about the good ole days from an "old timer"

I remember the good ole days when a coke cost a dime and I couldn't buy one. now they're a buck and a half and I can buy all I want. What was so good about that?

I have a memory like it was yesterday. I was 7 and my sister was 9 and we were both in the back seat. My dad pulls into a McDs drive through. We were so excited because we NEVER ate out. Ever. That MFer orders a single apple pie... for himself and eats it on the way home. I was lucky though... I got to smell it.

Nowadays, if I am driving and we need to go through a drive though, which is actually rare for us, I will stop in the parking lot and let my wife do it. I cant handle it and want to kill somebody by the end of it. Every body is asking for something special. "no pickles!" "no mayonnaise!" "half sprite, half koolaid, light on the ice!" You can barely hear the person taking the order. I start screaming, "why cant you just order a plain ol #2!"

 

[playzwtrux]

I have a memory like it was yesterday. I was 7 and my sister was 9 and we were both in the back seat. My dad pulls into a McDs drive through. We were so excited because we NEVER ate out. Ever. That MFer orders a single apple pie... for himself and eats it on the way home.

:( - at least my parents were never that mean to me

 

[gingerlover]

I was thinking about the good ole days yesterday, but in a different way. I took 3 of my kids to a nearby town about 20-25 driving minutes away. we ate lunch at the house after church about 1:15 and it's now about 4:45 and we're on our way home. my 9 y/o starts to ask for something to eat because even though he ate a good meal 3.5 hours earlier, he's starving to death, begging and pleading for me to stop and get him something.

as we pass by numerous restaurants and fast food joints, I continue to tell him that he can wait until we get home for a snack because dinner is just around the corner. I could have easily stopped about anywhere and bought him something because I have the resources to do so, but thinking back to when I was his age, we almost never ate out like that. my best chance was a soda & some peanuts from a "convenience store".

Mind you that I'm 44, and I grew up in the age when all the fast food joints were exploding onto the scenes (I think McD's had only served millions then), but we didn't have the $ to afford them. if I ever asked, the answer was almost always NO, but I believe that I've conditioned my kids that it's OK to stop and get something to eat about anywhere, just by doing it over & over. now, if I say no, I'm doing them some kind of injustice by making them wait a few minutes until we get home where the cupboards are always full with just about anything they could want (unlike when I was a kid, and there were 1, or maybe 2 choices, and both required I make it, cause mom felt like we needed to know how to take care of ourselves and not depend on others).

I've heard this anecdote about the good ole days from an "old timer"

I remember the good ole days when a coke cost a dime and I couldn't buy one. now they're a buck and a half and I can buy all I want. What was so good about that?

I'm only 35 and it took twenty minutes to get to the closest restaurants. Hardee's, shony's, Pizza Hut, blimpy, and a mom and pop pizza joint were it. Only things close to the house was a little 5x5 trailer that sold BBQ (still the best I've ever had) and fried chicken from the gas station. I was in middle school when more stuff finally popped up twenty minutes away. Always knew your sports banquets would be at Golden Corral. The only time I remember eating out when young was when going to my grandparents. Now there's crap on every corner.

 

[crosscreekcooter]

we were both in the back seat. I was lucky though... I got to smell it.
"

I wish I could get you to ride in the car with me.

 

[TLB]

That MFer orders a single apple pie... for himself and eats it on the way home. I was lucky though... I got to smell it.

That's cold. Damn.

I could never do that to my kids.

 

[stephenPE]

I was 7 and my sister was 9 and we were both in the back seat. My dad pulls into a McDs drive through. We were so excited because we NEVER ate out. Ever. That MFer orders a single apple pie... for himself and eats it on the way home. I was lucky though... I got to smell it.

I can see a nursing home in his future

 

[stephenPE]

Eating out for us was stopping at a mini mart and getting a big soda and cold sandwich. Then on Vacation one year (I was 13) Dad took us to some chain back then called The Oyster Bar in Sarasota. I got the seafood platter., It was heaven. I dont think I was ever full until my 20s. Then around 15 the preacher and wife took me to Morrisons in Gainesville. OMG what a great place to eat.

 

[crosscreekcooter]

 

[bradgator2]

I can see a nursing home in his future

Definitely old school. He wanted an apple pie, so he stopped and got one. But we knew better than to whine or complain about it. I know for a fact that he would have thrown me out of the car and I would have had to walk home.

But you are correct, no way in hell that old man will ever live with us. Probably my biggest disappointment in life is my relationship with him. But it is what it is.

 

[LagoonGator68]

Disturbing

 

[SC Gator]

the good ole days weren't
Always good
And tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems

--Billy Joel

 

[TheDouglas78]

I agree for the most part. I love the technology for my personal life but I absolutely cannot stand it at work. It's like you can never get away. Everything has to be NOW. I miss the old days of snail mail, no conf calls, webinars, roll-ups, exception reports, etc.. I think I was born 30 years too late.

the reason why when the wife and I go on vacation, computers stay at home, and phones get locked in the safe until one the way home.

 

[stephenPE]

Having been a kid in the 60s in rural Fla. I can say it was a safer world. We had two channels. We had 12 cent comic books. We had ten cent sodas. We had boy scouts. Fishing ponds all over that were unfenced. We got our azzes beat with a belt. We worked on farms loading watermelons or cropping tobacco. Teachers all had a paddle they could use without ANY paper work. They had a grade book that was gospel. We took one standardized test a year and that was fine. We played down at the school when school was out. Gas was cheap. Fla sports were great and cheap. Dad would drive me to the stadium and I mean right beside the west stands and let me out. $2 was all i needed to get in and get a drink. I read the Sun and the Tampa Tribune each day. We trusted the news at night and the sports editors were outstanding. I rode my bike or walked anywhere I wanted and when I bird dogged some in my teen would hitchhike. I could play all sports in my small HS. We went to springs (all free) on the Santa Fe river and had a blast. Archer road was a quiet two lane road all the way to 13th st. with just a flashing light at 34th st. AND Gator Growl was FANTASTIC each year. btw my Tuition at UF in the 70s was never more than $350 a qtr and books never more than $80. Usually cheaper. Oh yeah, our cars and our music set the standard that still stands today.

 

[gingerlover]

Having been a kid in the 60s in rural Fla. I can say it was a safer world. We had two channels. We had 12 cent comic books. We had ten cent sodas. We had boy scouts. Fishing ponds all over that were unfenced. We got our azzes beat with a belt. We worked on farms loading watermelons or cropping tobacco. Teachers all had a paddle they could use without ANY paper work. They had a grade book that was gospel. We took one standardized test a year and that was fine. We played down at the school when school was out. Gas was cheap. Fla sports were great and cheap. Dad would drive me to the stadium and I mean right beside the west stands and let me out. $2 was all i needed to get in and get a drink. I read the Sun and the Tampa Tribune each day. We trusted the news at night and the sports editors were outstanding. I rode my bike or walked anywhere I wanted and when I bird dogged some in my teen would hitchhike. I could play all sports in my small HS. We went to springs (all free) on the Santa Fe river and had a blast. Archer road was a quiet two lane road all the way to 13th st. with just a flashing light at 34th st. AND Gator Growl was FANTASTIC each year. btw my Tuition at UF in the 70s was never more than $350 a qtr and books never more than $80. Usually cheaper. Oh yeah, our cars and our music set the standard that still stands today.

The music of your generation is definitely the best. I still find the early to mid 90s alternative as my second favorite as that was my generation.

 

[playzwtrux]

our music set the standard that still stands today

not true, the 80's is the decade that all others are measured by.