How has the country changed since I was a child?

I suppose in this day and age, the most obvious change has been in the morals of the elected officials.  In the 50’s people admired our President and elected officials.  These folks had character and grace.  It was unheard of for one to attack another even with their language.  Teachers, policemen, anyone in authority was respected and admired.  My parents taught me to respect my elders.  Kidnappings and abductions were for the famous, not your every-day kid.

The morality of the people was different also.  Ozzie and Harriet and Desi and Lucy slept in twin beds not in a double with each other.  The Ed Sullivan dancing girls were quite risqué with their short costumes and low necklines.  Teenagers were not sneaking off to screw but to share one tiny little kiss.

I believe if an entertainer like Beyonce had come on the Ed Sullivan Show, my dad would have pitched our tv into the yard.  Let alone Madonna or Miley Cyrus!  Our entertainers were clean cut all-American girls and boys next door types.

Children were a lot different.  We did not sass our parents or we would have gotten smacked in the mouth or a belt to the behind or legs.  We knew when and where to comment on adult conversations.  We cleaned up and wore our best outfit to church on Sunday.  And when we got home, we took off that good outfit for play clothes so as not to ruin our Sunday best.

And we played outside.  We played baseball in the lot next door with all the kids in the neighborhood on teams.  No one was left out even if they were lousy players.  The girls jumped rope and played jacks, the boys practiced hitting baseballs or carving stuff with their Boy Scout knives.  We played on the swingset and went down the slide, sometimes head first.  We climbed the monkey bars and rode round and round on the merry-go-round.  We jumped off swings and off the see-saw to see our partner’s face.  We rolled down hills to see who could go the farthest.  We ran through the sprinkler when the days got hot and wore bread bags on our feet in the winter to go outside and build a snowman.  We built tens out of mom’s old sheets and pretended to camp.

Families went on picnics or to the pond to go fishing.  I remember well going to the creek to fish and swim.  We went on hikes in the fall to search for the elusive Pawpaw.  They are a fruit similar to a banana.

Our family sat down to eat together.  We said grace first to be thankful for the food and the health of the people at the table.  We ate simple food but food rich in vitamins and minerals that was grown in our garden.

The country has changed considerably since I was a child.  But I who love technology (if only I could understand and deal with it better on my own) am not sorry for most of the changes.  I do wish that there was a better morality in our society and a better work ethic.

But this society is not my making.  I raised my family and lived among my neighbors with my morals and ethic.  I am satisfied with what I did in my own back yard.  I am proud of how my girls have turned out.  And I am glad to pass on this next generation to them.

Peace be with you.

Photo is of me, my cousin, my friend and her cousin eating watermelon on the porch.

Faye, Jeanie, Trish and me.