06/24/2023
Reposted for my friend Leigh Foster McElroy
I grew up and never once questioned my parents income. It was never a discussion. We didn't eat a lot of fast food because it was considered a treat, not a food group. We drank sweet tea, lemonade, or "kool-Aid" made from water that came from our kitchen sink with real sugar. We ate turkey sandwiches, or even tuna (which was in a can not a pouch), & grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs on white bread, but mostly homemade meals consisting of meat, potatoes, and vegetables.
We grew up during a time when we mowed lawns, pulled weeds, babysat, helped neighbors with chores to be able to earn our own money. We by no means were given everything we wanted.
We went outside a lot to play, rode bikes, ran with friends, played hide and seek. We rarely just sat inside. We drank tap water from the water hose outside, bottled water was unheard of. If we had a coke, it was in a glass bottle, and we didn’t break the bottle when finished. We saved it and cashed it back in at the store for a refund.
We watched TV shows like The Jeffersons, Captain Kangaroo, The Little Rascals, Looney Tunes, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Saturday morning cartoons. My parents decided everything we watched or didn’t watch.
After school, we came home and did homework and chores, before going outside or having friends over. We would ride our bikes for hours. We had to tell our parents where we were going, who we were going with, and be home before the street lights came on!
You LEARNED from your parents instead of disrespecting them, and treating them as if they knew absolutely nothing. What they said was LAW, and you did not question it, and you had better know it!
We watched what we said around our elders because we knew if we DISRESPECTED any grown-up we would get our behinds whipped, it wasn't called abuse, it was called discipline! We held doors, carried groceries, and gave up our seat for an older person without being asked. You didn't hear curse words on the radio in songs or TV, and if you cursed and got caught you had a bar of soap stuck in your mouth.
“Please, Thank you, yes please, no thank you, yes ma'am, no ma'am yes sir, and no sir were part of our daily vocabulary!
Consider Re-posting if you're thankful for your childhood. I will never forget where I came from.