And That Was Good

My wife, Carol, and I are very blessed to have been children of the fifties in rural Mississippi. Although we lived and grew up in the town of Ackerman, there was no hospital in that town or even Choctaw County for our deliveries. Therefore, our parents went to nearby towns of Kosciusko to the West and Starkville to the East for our births; Carol in 1953 and me in 1951.

How were you so blessed, you ask? What follows is an anonymous observation of the advantages that sadly the children of this generation will never fully understand.

And That Was Good

Were you a kid in the Fifties or earlier? Everybody makes fun of our childhood! Comedians joke. Grandkids snicker. Twenty-somethings shudder and say "Eeeew!" But was our childhood really all that bad? Judge for yourself:

In 1953:

The US population was less than 150 million...Yet you knew more people then, and knew them better... And that was good.

The average annual salary was under $3,000...Yet our parents could put some of it away for a rainy day and still live a decent life... And that was good.

A loaf of bread cost about 15 cents...But it was safe for a five-year-old to skate to the store and buy one... And that was good.

Prime-Time meant I Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriett, and Lassie...So nobody'd ever heard of ratings or filters... And that was good.

We didn't have air-conditioning...So the windows stayed up and half a dozen mothers ran outside when you fell off your bike... And that was good.

Your teacher was either Miss Matthews or Mrs. Logan or Mr. Adkins...But not Ms Becky or Mr. Dan... And that was good.

The only hazardous material you knew about...Was a patch of grassburrs around the light pole at the corner... And that was good.

Most families needed only one job...Meaning Mom was home when school let out... And that was good.

You loved to climb into a fresh bed...Because sheets were dried on the clothesline... And that was good.

People generally lived in the same hometown with their relatives...So "child care" meant grandparents or aunts and uncles... And that was good.

TV was in black-and-white...But all outdoors was in glorious color... And that was certainly good.

Your Dad knew how to adjust everybody's carburetor...And the Dad next door knew how to adjust all the TV knobs... And that was very good.

Your grandma grew snap beans in the back yard...And chickens behind the garage... And that was definitely good.

And just when you were about to do something really bad...Chances were you'd run into your Dad's high school coach...Or the nosy old lady from up the street...Or you little sister's piano teacher...Or somebody from the church...All of whom knew your parents phone number...And YOUR first name... And even THAT was Good!