Kids today

[other dog]

We had a family of 7 sharing ONE telephone.

Oh the humanity!!!

We were on a party line with several other families around the area. When the phone rang, it rang at everybody's house so you had to know "your" ring- it could be 1,2, or 3 rings, and they could be long rings or short rings, or any combination. Ours was 3 long rings. Everybody knew everybody else's ring too, because some people would ease the receiver up and cover the mouthpiece with their hand and listen to other people's conversations...I heard people would do that anyway, I don't have any firsthand knowledge of it.

[Green Dash]

Forgot to add:

Phone was attached to the wall. could only walk about 3 feet from it,

OR get a looooong coiled cord that dragged on the floor and everyone tripped over it

A dishwasher was the lady of the house and/or kids

That 25' coiled cord would become a 50' tightrope when stretched from the kitchen, across the living room, to an upstairs bedroom.

We were on a party line with several other families around the area. When the phone rang, it rang at everybody's house so you had to know "your" ring- it could be 1,2, or 3 rings, and they could be long rings or short rings, or any combination. Ours was 3 long rings. Everybody knew everybody else's ring too, because some people would ease the receiver up and cover the mouthpiece with their hand and listen to other people's conversations...I heard people would do that anyway, I don't have any firsthand knowledge of it.

Prolly just hearsay since you don't actually know anyone that would stoop so low. My first experience with a party line was in the 1980's when i would call my Dad in Idaho. His neighbors would actually join the conversation!

[farmer52]

We were on a party line with several other families around the area. When the phone rang, it rang at everybody's house so you had to know "your" ring- it could be 1,2, or 3 rings, and they could be long rings or short rings, or any combination. Ours was 3 long rings. Everybody knew everybody else's ring too, because some people would ease the receiver up and cover the mouthpiece with their hand and listen to other people's conversations...I heard people would do that anyway, I don't have any firsthand knowledge of it.

Yes, we had a party line too before the dial tone private line...."rubbering" was the word used to listen in on other conversations.

[REEL ADDICTION]

True funny thing is we didnt have cell phones but we all managed to find one another on saturday night and what I would do to go back to the time of no cell phone like u said you would leave the house and not be able to be contacted till u came home hours later now a days if you dont anSwer the phone after the 2nd ring your up to no good LOL

[Apple dog]

I grew up on a farm. Up every morning to feed the livestock, off to school, and then tend the livestock in the evening. Our "vacation" was a day trip so we could be back in time to do the evening chores. We had a B&W TV and could only get one station (if the wind was blowing in the right direction). And for "entertainment" the Sears and Robust, Monkey Wards, and Jacque Penney catalogs. Original phone was a party line with a real operator to place the call. Eventually the phone was "upgraded" to a dial tone and rotary dial. I was a senior in college when the first electronic calculator (HP35) was marketed and it was $595. Until then I used a slide rule. If I could turn back the clock it would be to 1970...MUSCLE CARS!!!! A Plymouth Cuda with a real 426ci HEMI was about $4000 loaded (not to mention Road Runner, GTX, Superbird, Charger, Challenger, GTS, Super Bee, R/T, Coronet, Boss 302, Mach I, Z28, SS, etc.). Oh and we had NO air conditioning in the summer. Does anyone remember using an outhouse? Did not have "indoor plumbing" until I was in high school.

My granddad had running water in the house but no bathroom. If it was late of nite we could use the thunder mug. During the day it was the outhouse. It was cold setting in there in the winter.

[JumperAndSon]

Well as a representitive of the "younger crowd", I'd like to share my piece.

The first thing is the part about being spoiled. Yes, I do have everything I've ever wanted, but I greatly appreciate that and I do not just expect it. Nor is it just handed to me. You see, I go to a place where not too many kids my age have been, it's called WORK. Yes, it's a place where I commit physical labor and get things done in order to EARN all of the things that I have.

Okay, I do have a cell phone and I do a lot of texting, but it is not my whole life. There are many a day when I forget my phone inside and/or leave it there on purpose and guess what? I don't ever miss it! I go to Boy Scout Camp where we don't have phones or electronics for a week and unlike most of the sissy-lalas who sit and complain about not having them, I'm proud to get away from it. If I get bored, I take a walk. OMG, that means actually using my leg muscles to propell myself across the ground! If you took away my phone and my facebook account, I wouldn't think twice about it. And one more side note about technology, my family hasn't had a dryer for probably 5 years now. We hang our clothes on an actual line using clothespins to dry them.

Another thing is video games. Your good ole Pacman game that you had to walk 6 blocks to the arcade and put a dime in to play? Yea that would be a 100% technological upgrade from what I have. My video game is called GO OUT AND GET A LIFE. It's a fun game where when I wanna have fun, I go outside and physically do something fun. Instead of sitting around playin GTA or 18WOS or something, I'll go out and actually drive a real vehicle around and have some real fun with it. Instead of playing some barnyard game on the wii, I go out and clean some pens and care for my 30+ real animals.

And another thing is the part about my social life. Instead of having 1500 "friends" on facebook that I've never even met before in my life, I go out and get actual friends that I can physically sit and talk to. For example, I'm in five 4-H clubs, three Boy Scout Troops, two different homeschoolers groups and other assorted extra-cirricular activities. This means that I am actually out of the house much more than I am in it. I'm not that kid that spends every evening in front of the screen playing xbox. I'm the kid that is out somewhere actually learning things and making real friends.

Another thing I'd like to mention is my (attempt at) courtesy. Back in the old days, it was assumed that if a person was walking up do a doorway and you were standing there, you best open that door for that person. And if any person under the age of 25 said anything that even hinted a swear word, they'd surely be beaten severely because young people should not use any language like that. If you called somebody gay just because of something they said to you, well that just showed that you were unintelligent. Well guess what? That's how it is for me now. If I'm anywhere near a public doorway and somebody is headed towards there, you better bet that I'm gonna stand there and hold it open for them, no matter who they are or where it is. And I also want to mention that all the swear words, are not part of my vocabulary at all. No exceptions. Wether I'm in the woods with my buddies or in the living room with my dad, you will absolutely not hear me say a single syllable of a swear word. And you certainly won't hear me call somebody some rediculous name that doesn't make sense either.

There is also my appearence. It's assumed that teenagers like to dress like bumms but that's not me. If you see me at any given moment, it is garunteed that I will have a belt on, my pants will be pulled up to my waisteline, and my shirt will be properly tucked in. And you will definately not see any piercings or tattoos either. I was told by my father that if I ever had any piercings, they would be removed with Vice Grips and any tattoos will be removed with a belt sander. And guess what? I don't want anything like that anyway because I want to look like a respectable young citizen not some hobo off the railroad tracks.

So before you go making stereotypes about people younger than you, make sure that you are aware that there are, though few in number, exceptions to those assumptions. Thanks for reading all that

Ben

[farmer52]

Ben

I think David was just making an "overall" observation. There are always exceptions. I am happy to hear your side and wish there were more "young" people like you. Sounds like your parents taught you well. And then there is Vinny - he seems like a nice guy.

[Timothy Maikshilo]

Well put Ben, Glad to hear from you younger guys and some one that others can learn from too. Maxim my son is right there with and I'm sure our teen Vinny is too!

[57 bcr]

All out of "likes" already,but you guys are hittin' the nail on the head,again.We did chores around the house,mowed the lawn,shovel snow,raked leaves,etc.We used to walk along the road and pick up empty pop bottles to return at the local store for $$.Then I got my first real job. I started working for my buddy's dad at 11 years old (1972) greasing trucks & trailers,checking tires,lights, oils,and batteries.I thought that was great.My buddy had already been doing that for 6 years already,by that time! His dad was harder on us than any drill seargent I would encounter years later,when I joined the ARMY! Later,the guy had gotten into the truck parts business,and at age 14 I was relining brake shoes and stocking parts and helping out at the counter.It was a great experiance and they were (and still are),very good to me. My father got the itch to leave his job as a foreman in a fabricating shop, and we moved 320 miles north ,to the U.P. of Michigan,where we bought a small resort.Much work to do there,and it was tough to leave my job in the truck parts field(like i had a choice!).But this was much better for dad,who I think was getting burned out at his position and needed a break.Cut a lot of grass,washed boats,rented boats out,hauled alot of garbage to the dump on Saturdays,hauled people and boats at 4am so they could take float trips on the river.But also got to ride my motorcycles and snowmobiles on the endless trails around our area. Enjoyed helping out our family with different automotive issues.My parents and grandparents worked hard and played hard.We had a great life,on very little money,we payed our bills and we're resposible for what we did. Wouldn't trade it for anything!

[other dog]

forgot about picking up pop bottles- we used to walk up rt. 13 to French's store, half a mile away. My brother and I would take a different side of the road and look for bottles along the way. They brought 2 cents apiece and we'd stash them at the bottom of a big tree in the ditch by the road until we had 5 or 6 bottles stockpiled, enough to cash in for something.

You could get a lot for a nickle or dime then. A dimes worth of penny candy was a lot, had plenty to share. Some penny candy was 2 for a penny, where a piece of penny candy costs 10 cents nowadays. That store had cookies in big glass containers sitting on the counter too, with big red lids on them. Wanted some ginger snaps, Mrs. French would reach in and get them with her hand and put them in a little paper bag for you. Big, soft, ginger snaps too- last ones I bought were so hard you almost had to hit it with a hammer to break it apart before you could eat it.

There were lots of little country stores around then, but they had pretty much whatever you needed. If you wanted a pound of baloney for a bloney sammich, it didn't come in a little plastic container- it was a whole roll of baloney, and they'd slice off however much you wanted. Same thing with cheese, no such thing as the individual wrapped sliced cheese-if that really is cheese- most all country stores had a big "wheel" of cheese on the counter in a wooden box. They kept a big knife in the box too, and they'd cut what you wanted and put in on the scales. If you asked for a pound, they had to guess- might be a little over or under, but they were usually pretty close.

Many times I skipped lunch at school and saved my lunch money-30 cents- and walked up to French's store when I got home from school and bought junk food. I'd get a 12 ounce Coke for 10 cents, a cake for 10 cents, and top it off with a 10 cent ice cream sammich. I had to buy them separately because I only had 30 cents cash money- if I bought it all together I would have had to pay a penny tax. And I had to go outside and sit on the bench to eat it, because I had to take the Coke bottle back- there was a 2 cent deposit on the bottle.

[Green Dash]

Well put, Ben. You are an exception rather than the rule. I would describe my girls a being somewhere in between you and the kids described in the original post. I've learned that the threat of me telling them stories of how it was in the old days is the best way to keep them in line and teach them to appreciate the luxuries they have.

[fifth wheel]

Living in the country but not far from the cities I was on or around farms all my life. It wasn't work, it was fun, it is what you did and what you had to do. Yes I continued my education but have just about all of my knowledge and experiences from my way of life. My family and childern had it like everybody else around today with all the elecrtronics and such but were taught life skills and work ethics based on my agricultural up bringing. My youngest daughter went to college, recently married, and moved away, she had field cars, can operate equipment, she even painted her truck and can do just about any thing. My Wife and I can take some of the credit for how she and her brothers turned out but some or most of the credit is where they grew up.

I just read that a local farmer passed away at 92 and in his obitituary it said "He wasn't afraid of anything or anyone" .

My daughter just sent me this morning,

Love my John Deere wreath..;-)

The Dodge comercial on the Superbowl tells it all. God Bless this great country.

FW

[fifth wheel]

Well as a representitive of the "younger crowd", I'd like to share my piece.

The first thing is the part about being spoiled. Yes, I do have everything I've ever wanted, but I greatly appreciate that and I do not just expect it. Nor is it just handed to me. You see, I go to a place where not too many kids my age have been, it's called WORK. Yes, it's a place where I commit physical labor and get things done in order to EARN all of the things that I have.

Okay, I do have a cell phone and I do a lot of texting, but it is not my whole life. There are many a day when I forget my phone inside and/or leave it there on purpose and guess what? I don't ever miss it! I go to Boy Scout Camp where we don't have phones or electronics for a week and unlike most of the sissy-lalas who sit and complain about not having them, I'm proud to get away from it. If I get bored, I take a walk. OMG, that means actually using my leg muscles to propell myself across the ground! If you took away my phone and my facebook account, I wouldn't think twice about it. And one more side note about technology, my family hasn't had a dryer for probably 5 years now. We hang our clothes on an actual line using clothespins to dry them.

Another thing is video games. Your good ole Pacman game that you had to walk 6 blocks to the arcade and put a dime in to play? Yea that would be a 100% technological upgrade from what I have. My video game is called GO OUT AND GET A LIFE. It's a fun game where when I wanna have fun, I go outside and physically do something fun. Instead of sitting around playin GTA or 18WOS or something, I'll go out and actually drive a real vehicle around and have some real fun with it. Instead of playing some barnyard game on the wii, I go out and clean some pens and care for my 30+ real animals.

And another thing is the part about my social life. Instead of having 1500 "friends" on facebook that I've never even met before in my life, I go out and get actual friends that I can physically sit and talk to. For example, I'm in five 4-H clubs, three Boy Scout Troops, two different homeschoolers groups and other assorted extra-cirricular activities. This means that I am actually out of the house much more than I am in it. I'm not that kid that spends every evening in front of the screen playing xbox. I'm the kid that is out somewhere actually learning things and making real friends.

Another thing I'd like to mention is my (attempt at) courtesy. Back in the old days, it was assumed that if a person was walking up do a doorway and you were standing there, you best open that door for that person. And if any person under the age of 25 said anything that even hinted a swear word, they'd surely be beaten severely because young people should not use any language like that. If you called somebody gay just because of something they said to you, well that just showed that you were unintelligent. Well guess what? That's how it is for me now. If I'm anywhere near a public doorway and somebody is headed towards there, you better bet that I'm gonna stand there and hold it open for them, no matter who they are or where it is. And I also want to mention that all the swear words, are not part of my vocabulary at all. No exceptions. Wether I'm in the woods with my buddies or in the living room with my dad, you will absolutely not hear me say a single syllable of a swear word. And you certainly won't hear me call somebody some rediculous name that doesn't make sense either.

There is also my appearence. It's assumed that teenagers like to dress like bumms but that's not me. If you see me at any given moment, it is garunteed that I will have a belt on, my pants will be pulled up to my waisteline, and my shirt will be properly tucked in. And you will definately not see any piercings or tattoos either. I was told by my father that if I ever had any piercings, they would be removed with Vice Grips and any tattoos will be removed with a belt sander. And guess what? I don't want anything like that anyway because I want to look like a respectable young citizen not some hobo off the railroad tracks.

So before you go making stereotypes about people younger than you, make sure that you are aware that there are, though few in number, exceptions to those assumptions. Thanks for reading all that

Ben

You just made my day, _ _ _ .

FW

[JumperAndSon]

I remember cashing in on pop bottles too! My Grandmother had a giant 3 liter Coke glass bottle that had a .25 deposit on it- huge money in the mid 70s. That was the brass ring of deposits, most Regent quart bottles were ten cents and Pepsi and Coke returnables were like five cents. One day after I mowed the lawn and weeded the flower beds, she gave me the bottle as payment! I gladly took it in and spent the quarter on candy or something. In hindsight, I wish that I still had that bottle , it's probably worth 25 bucks, I've never seen another.

Tim

[umodelnut]

I'm kind of in the same boat as Ben. I have everything I have ever wanted. I have a freakin U model!!! My favorite thing of all time. I have snowmobiles, a 3 wheeler all that good stuff. And I couldn't be more pleased. I am very thankful for all these things I have. I am most thankful for having my very loving helpful family who got these things for me, feed me, and put a roof over my head. Those are my Mom, Nana, Papa, and Stepdad. I guess I have earned all these things because I behave good, 99.9% of the time :-), I keep my grades up and I help out whenever I can. I do text quite a bit too I guess. I don't have a Facebook or anything like that. Just Bigmacktrucks and Flickr to put my Mack pictures on. If my phone and things were taken away, I'd be fine!! But I might miss all my U model findings. :-( I don't play video games or anything.

[2stacksuperdog]

I'm kind of in the same boat as Ben. I have everything I have ever wanted. I have a freakin U model!!! My favorite thing of all time. I have snowmobiles, a 3 wheeler all that good stuff. And I couldn't be more pleased. I am very thankful for all these things I have. I am most thankful for having my very loving helpful family who got these things for me, feed me, and put a roof over my head. Those are my Mom, Nana, Papa, and Stepdad. I guess I have earned all these things because I behave good, 99.9% of the time :-), I keep my grades up and I help out whenever I can. I do text quite a bit too I guess. I don't have a Facebook or anything like that. Just Bigmacktrucks and Flickr to put my Mack pictures on. If my phone and things were taken away, I'd be fine!! But I might miss all my U model findings. :-( I don't play video games or anything.

Same here i do what im suppose to and my parents are happy