There is a lot to be said for “The way things used to be”
Of course, I was a kid back when, back in the days when kids respected elders and, that was kids of all ages including adults. Elder people were afforded respect unless they proved they didn’t deserve it. These days, it seems no one is respected unless there is some sort of reward for doing so.
Back in 1977 I remember a nation proud to be British, I cannot even write that without someone thinking it is somehow a racist comment!
Television was a social activity shared by family of appropriate age, it wasn’t a babysitter.
I remember, back in the early 1980’s, I called my mum on the phone and, I can’t remember what I said but it was disrespectful and she hung up on me, she had never done that before. You know what I did? I was in London at the time 30 miles from her. I left work, I got on a train, I got to my home town, bought her some flowers, gave her a huge cuddle, said how much I loved her (and meant it) and, from that day to this, never forgot how special she was to me and how much I didn’t want to hurt her. I am sure I did, of course but, knowing that day what I did, hurt me. Of course, today, if something similar happens, the parent gets told the kids were really right in a text.
Way back when, if a dad was not doing the right thing by his kid he was shunned by everyone. He was a bum and everyone knew it, his parents would bow their heads in shame and rally round to support the child themselves. That doesn’t happen any more.
Kids played games, they didn’t smoke or do drugs, they didn’t make babies. Those that did were considered the failures of bad parenting. Those same kids these days seem to just be experimenting with life and respected and their parents defend them.
Of course, I am not THAT old! Yes, boy racers still did stupid things though it would be a Ford Cortina, not a Vauxhall Corsa and, or the cool kids, a Capri. Yes, kids smoked at 14, it was meant to be cool but then, no one knew smoking caused cancer, not for sure then. Kids did do sex, or so they said.
Thing is, when the good times were here I was too young to appreciate anything good about them and too ignorant of how bad things could get to know how good it was, But then, maybe life has always been crap and perhaps we just grab onto the possibility of a better time to make us feel OK about it? Who knows.
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