Old-fashioned things you've done in your day...

[Pink Elephant]

I am ashamed to say my first bike was given to me, not that I rode it much. Material things were given to me, although I had far far far far less and much cheaper stuff than my uppity peers. My mother sewed my clothes and I got teased for that. Our car wasn't the popular Cadillac (to this day they still make me retch). My mother was odd. She didn't like Barbie dolls so I wasn't allowed to have one. She didn't like any toys other kids had so I couldn't have them. Made me even more of an outcast. I super rebelled against her in my teens and my peer relationships were better after I pulled away from her and broke her rules. But she screamed at me a lot. It didn't help. I wasn't going to let her make me an outcast again.

Pink, if somebody had told me to change a nasty cloth diaper with rubber pants when I was a kid, I would have refused. Period. I could throw a mean tantrum and refuse to do things I didn't want to do. I was not particularly fond of my younger siblings anyway and had no baby cousins. It is possible that if babies had worn disposables at the time maybe...but I doubt it. I was not an easy kid, which is one reason my mother didn't like me, and if I didn't want to do something, It was impossible to make me do it. I was a very depressed and anxious kid who was picked on at school and by my mother at home and I was not interested in helping out my worst enemy, my mom. You seem to have a clear memory of diapers. I didn't pay attention and don't remember but for the smell. They were not a part of my life.

Once I had my own kid's I was 100 percent Mom but not at all interested in that stuff before that. My childhood was dark and gloomy with peers and a mother who picked on me. All I wanted to do was grow up and get out. My good old days started when I met my current husband! I don't WANT to be anywhere else but now! The childhood years were not good memories.

Nothing to be ashamed of over being gifted with your first bicycle, etc. Do think that work (more so the responsibilities attached to) was good for me. Aside from enjoying buying my own things and paying my own way, having to show up at someone's house to babysit (on time), made me aware at a young age that life wasn't just about me. I think that's why I was always miles ahead of my counterparts when it came to maturity.

I recall a friends parents owning a Cadillac when I was still in elementary school, and how that car made me feel so bad. We were poor, and the vehicle my parents drove was rusted-out and out of date. Somehow even today the hurt still resides in me, not as a result of my elementary days and memories, where I always seemed to find myself comparing my parents to others, but rather, when I see an older, rundown vehicle in passing today, it tends to resurrect the awareness I had at such a young age for being different from everyone else as a result of my parents struggling financially, and then my thoughts turn to feeling sorry for the person behind the wheel of the old rundown vehicle.

We were allowed dolls of all types, and had many, as did my own kids... drink-and-wet dolls included. I think it's good for a child to have dolls. I remember when my baby brothers had their Big Jim and G.I Joe dolls. They had lines set up in the yard where they could repel the dolls down the string just like in real life, and they had different army stuff for them. So sad to deny a child of play.

Changing diapers (for me, SOT), made me feel grown up. Whenever my mom would call out or ask me to change (so-and-so), I felt like a real mom, and that my help was appreciated, which it was. As for the diapers my mom used, when you grow up with cloth in the home and that's all you know, you just run with it. You get used to it, because everyone all around used them, too, so it was the norm. When I was first started changing baby siblings, my mom never had me rinse diapers out. Wet ones went into the pail, and poopy ones went into the toilet to soak. My mom was always right behind me to do the rinsing afterwards.

But once I got older and more familiar with the process, any diapers I changed, I rinsed. I was old enough to feel that there was no reason whatsoever as to why I couldn't perform that task, too, and besides, I was already babysitting outside of the home for neighbours and family, so rinsing-out diapers at those homes was a necessary duty. Believe it or not, you get used to it. No, it's not pleasant, but it was a fact of life back then.

Diapers, bottles, feedings, outings (stroller rides)... I remember it all from my baby siblings days, probably because I was so involved with them. It just has a way of sticking with one.

As for living a full and rich life as a kid, boy, did I ever. I was one of those kids that had already done a lot of domestic things at an early age. Things I know neighbourhood kids my own age never even sniffed, until they were much, much older. My maturity must have shined through, because when neighbourhood moms needed a sitter, it was our phone that always rang. I had made a good solid name for myself in and around the hood as being a mature and reliable babysitter, and all the moms knew it.

 

[Pink Elephant]

We studied telephone switchboard operators in our history, and I was interested to find that the first ones, in the late 1800s, were teenage boys. Apparently, it didn’t work well, as they were not generally kind and patient with the callers, and would sometimes play jokes on them.

They tried a female out, and within hours hired her sister as well. From then on, they started hiring females, and didn’t allow males on the job till the 70s, with the EOOC rulings.

Just a bit of interesting trivia....

Big thumbs-up to having women behind switchboard desks. Definitely do think women were the right choice for such. So interesting about the history of such. Thanks, Apple. Love reading things like this.

 

[Pink Elephant]

And, having worked with those few pioneering male operators, I can tell you that the older female operators treated them like $h!t. Most of the males wound up going over to switching, which was a male job well into the early 80s.

I can believe it.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Jobs used to be so gender divided. Women were limited pretty much to nursing, teaching, secretaries, other nurturing or housekeeping jobs.Women could do very limited work...factory, cooking, those listed above. Or they could work a switchboard. And I remember the few male nurses getting flack for doing a woman's job.

Yep, I totally believe it. In our home, I was big on gender specific jobs. I took care of the house, the kids, and the all things related to, while my husband did the shoveling, the lawn-cutting, and other miscellaneous things in and around the house.

He was never the baby type, so fixing bottles and changing diapers, was out. LOL!

 

[BusynMember]

I was not mature. But I somehow knew better than to break the law, take drugs have crazy sex in high school etc. It seemed as if I was pretty alone in being responsible in these ways. I was always VERY capable of ignoring peer pressure, even that of my best friends.

Pink, I think it is GREAT to have to earn your own things. I revolted against my childhood, loathed the wealthy folks I grew up with and their in my opinion shallowness, and married middle class. In both marriages, the kids worked for what they got, at least in the teen years, and all my kids worked part time while in high school, except for Sonic who had a form of autism. To this day, all four of mine have strong g work ethics. Even Sonic is on his own and working. Bart and Jumper make college level salaries and Princess was a very good pastry chef who won awards and only stopped working after her baby was born. She is a great mom. None of my kids got freebies from us. My first husband was cheaper than I can explain and my sweet loving second husband just was not a high earner, but he was an amazing father. I feel it was very good that my kids had to buy their own cars, insurance, houses etc.

Pink, my hub is a mechanic and we always bought old cars for cash and I didn't feel bad about it AT ALL! Was just glad hub could keep cars running for so long and that we had no car payments...lol.

When I lived in Lincolnwood, IL many moons ago almost everyone had a Cadillac but us. I wasn't jealous. I grew to be VERY anti status symbol and to this day Cadillacs remind me of people who I grew up with and I felt they were mostly superficial and shallow. I never wanted to own a status type car nor did I feel the need to own big house, a yacht, nothing like that. I am rather repelled by snooty people...there goes the opinion again! To me snooty people lose track of what really matters, such as kindness and caring and giving and tolerance and compassion.

 

[Pink Elephant]

I was not mature. But I somehow knew better than to break the law, take drugs have crazy sex in high school etc. It seemed as if I was pretty alone in being responsible in these ways. I was always VERY capable of ignoring peer pressure, even that of my best friends.

Pink, I think it is GREAT to have to earn your own things. I revolted against my childhood, loathed the wealthy folks I grew up with and their in my opinion shallowness, and married middle class. In both marriages, the kids worked for what they got, at least in the teen years, and all my kids worked part time while in high school, except for Sonic who had a form of autism. To this day, all four of mine have strong g work ethics. Even Sonic is on his own and working. Bart and Jumper make college level salaries and Princess was a very good pastry chef who won awards and only stopped working after her baby was born. She is a great mom. None of my kids got freebies from us. My first husband was cheaper than I can explain and my sweet loving second husband just was not a high earner, but he was an amazing father. I feel it was very good that my kids had to buy their own cars, insurance, houses etc.

Pink, my hub is a mechanic and we always bought old cars for cash and I didn't feel bad about it AT ALL! Was just glad hub could keep cars running for so long and that we had no car payments...lol.

When I lived in Lincolnwood, IL many moons ago almost everyone had a Cadillac but us. I wasn't jealous. I grew to be VERY anti status symbol and to this day Cadillacs remind me of people who I grew up with and I felt they were mostly superficial and shallow. I never wanted to own a status type car nor did I feel the need to own big house, a yacht, nothing like that. I am rather repelled by snooty people...there goes the opinion again! To me snooty people lose track of what really matters, such as kindness and caring and giving and tolerance and compassion.

Yes, I, too, was born with and possessed the strength to always make my own decisions and stand by them with conviction. I was never pulled into the world of smoking marijuana or doing other drugs when I was in school. Peer pressure didn't have any effect on me whatsoever.

Like yourself, SOT, I have no time for hoity-toity folk.

As for friends growing up, I was super lucky. Always high-caliber, respectable people from good families. Not rich families, good families, where they were taught right from wrong. I don't see a lot of that these days.

 

[BusynMember]

Pink lol I didn't see that when I was growing up!!

The teenagers at my school were demonic and tortured the teachers and one another. Drugs, sex, shoplifting (especially the rich kids who didn't want for anything), drinking, cutting classes, etc. I guess all the well brought up kids lived by you!

As for today, over half the kids are of divorce and single parenting...nobody is home to watch Junior. I feel sorry for the many kids who grew up with Jumper who had divorced parents, men and woman they dated marching in and out of their lives, and no stability. I divorced too and it affected Princess ALOT!

My generation started the divorce merry go round and, unlike many people, I think the older days of two parent stability and trying to work it out for the sake of the kids was better than kids not knowing any stability and their parents bringing new mother and father figures into their homes and expecting their kids not to be confused. My kid didn't like it. She is not so unusual. Family stability is gone. Again...this is just an opinion I have. I think massive divorce and parental dating and the kids being dragged through the chaos is the #1 reason current kids are so confused. Not videogames. Not cell phones. Not bad movies. I think it is hands down divorce. I know this had a lot to do with why Princess took drugs and she has lots of company. My grandson hates his mother's husband, is scared of him, and the divorce was a huge problem for him too. It still is. He is ten but still cries every time he has to go to their place. He is starting to tell them he hates them and doesn't want to go there. He is ten. I see trouble down the way.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Pink lol I didn't see that when I was growing up!!

The teenagers at my school were demonic and tortured the teachers and one another. Drugs, sex, shoplifting (especially the rich kids who didn't want for anything), drinking, cutting classes, etc. I guess all the well brought up kids lived by you!

As for today, over half the kids are of divorce and single parenting...nobody is home to watch Junior. I feel sorry for the many kids who grew up with Jumper who had divorced parents, men and woman they dated marching in and out of their lives, and no stability. I divorced too and it affected Princess ALOT!

My generation started the divorce merry go round and, unlike many people, I think the older days of two parent stability and trying to work it out for the sake of the kids was better than kids not knowing any stability and their parents bringing new mother and father figures into their homes and expecting their kids not to be confused. My kid didn't like it. She is not so unusual. Family stability is gone. Again...this is just an opinion I have. I think massive divorce and parental dating and the kids being dragged through the chaos is the #1 reason current kids are so confused. Not videogames. Not cell phones. Not bad movies. I think it is hands down divorce. I know this had a lot to do with why Princess took drugs and she has lots of company. My grandson hates his mother's husband, is scared of him, and the divorce was a huge problem for him too. It still is. He is ten but still cries every time he has to go to their place. He is starting to tell them he hates them and doesn't want to go there. He is ten. I see trouble down the way.

Oh, no, SOT, I definitely remember the crowd of unwanted when I was in school. Many attended special classes, outside of us regular kids, so they had their own entrances into the school, and you seldom seen them around the grounds or at functions. They often picked-up with their own gang of like-minded people and did their own thing. Few dressed well, telling me there was hardship in the home, and thinking about it now makes me sad. Something was missing in their homes. Maybe love and care.

 

[BusynMember]

Pink....for us these were not the unwanted. These were popular kids with good grades and money. Some were hippies also mostly from Rich homes, many were jocks. And some we're the group of greasers, not as rich, not as popular except amongst themselves. We had 900 kids in my graduating class and sooooo many problems....drugs, sex, overdoses, stealing, disrespect...a lot of bad kids, many with loving parents. The school was a mess. The kids controlled the adults.

That was MY world.

I was kind of a loner and since I also did not drink, take drugs, have any sex or even touch cigarettes, I kind of stayed to myself, except for four girls. And they did a lot of stuff I didn't do. I didn't like it, but could not seem to find anyone who was like me.

Things may have settled down by the time you were in high school. Plus the Viet Nam war was not as big a deal in Canada...it was used by many as an excuse to act up.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Pink....for us these were not the unwanted. These were popular kids with good grades and money. Some were hippies also mostly from Rich homes, many were jocks. And some we're the group of greasers, not as rich, not as popular except amongst themselves. We had 900 kids in my graduating class and sooooo many problems....drugs, sex, overdoses, stealing, disrespect...a lot of bad kids, many with loving parents. The school was a mess. The kids controlled the adults.

That was MY world.

I was kind of a loner and since I also did not drink, take drugs, have any sex or even touch cigarettes, I kind of stayed to myself, except for four girls. And they did a lot of stuff I didn't do. I didn't like it, but could not seem to find anyone who was like me.

Things may have settled down by the time you were in high school. Plus the Viet Nam war was not as big a deal in Canada...it was used by many as an excuse to act up.

I'm shocked reading this. I can't believe how out of control your peers were. Such was not the case here. Sure, there were the exceptions, but few, and the schools always dealt with them accordingly.

Me and my friends all smoked cigarettes, and drank mildly at parties, but never did we loose ourselves or our ways or direction. We were always responsible and remained responsible. Probably as girls it was easier to carry ourselves more maturely, though I remember exceptions to that rule as well. Boy do I ever.

 

[BusynMember]

The girls were just as bad here. Two of my three friends got pregnant and had abortions. Drugs were everywhere. It was depressing to me. Sex was off the charts. Drug overdoses happened often and in school. We once were allowed to go out for lunch but there was so much shoplifting of stores during lunch hour and acting out at restaurants that it was stopped. That was the only time I remember the school taking action for bad behavior. Basically nobody was afraid of the teachers or principal, me included, and nobody listened to them and the parents could not control the kids. My parents really couldn't control me either. I didn't like my mother at all...she was awful to me. If I had wanted to be out of control, she couldn't have stopped me and my dad was never a part of discipline. But.....

I wanted very much to be good. I did not want to ruin my life with drugs, alcohol, sex or anything criminal. My mom thought I was bad, but I was actually very good. I didn't get into trouble because I wanted to respect myself, not for her. Meanwhile even my few close friends got into trouble. I couldn't find friends that were well behaved. And I WAS a tad boy crazy. I wanted friends who would go out and meet boys with me. So I found three girls who at least shared my wacky sense of humor and boy craziness and I put up with the drugs and sex in exchange.

But I am not exaggerating about how crazy it was in my neighborhood. I am not saying it was like that everywhere, but it was for me and in similar wealthy suburbs near mine. For a sensitive teen like me who suffered anxiety and depression and just wanted to be good, it was tough. I had some fun as a teen and I dated a lot, always without sex, but I also got pulled into some situations because my friends were often in trouble.

 

[Pink Elephant]

The girls were just as bad here. Two of my three friends got pregnant and had abortions. Drugs were everywhere. It was depressing to me. Sex was off the charts. Drug overdoses happened often and in school. We once we're allowed to go out for lunch but there was so much shoplifting of stores during lunch hour and acting out at restaurants that it was stopped. That was the only time I remember the school taking action for bad behavior. Basically nobody was afraid if the teachers or principal,me included, and nobody listened to them and the parents could not control the kids. My parents really couldn't control me either. I didn't like my mother at all...she was awful to me. If I had wanted to be out of control, she couldn't have stopped me and my dad was never a part of discipline. But..

I wanted very much to be good. I did not want to ruin my life with drugs, alcohol, sex or anything criminal. My mom thought I was bad, but I was actually very good. I didn't get into trouble for myself, not for her. Meanwhile even my few close friends got into trouble. I couldn't find friends that were well behaved. And I WAS a tad boy crazy. I wanted friends who would go out and meet boys with me. So I found three girls who at least shared my wacky sense of humor and boy craziness and out up with the drugs and sex in exchange.

But I am not exaggerating about how crazy it was in my neighborhood. I am not saying it was like that everywhere, but it was for me and in similar wealthy suburbs near mine. For a sensitive teen like me who suffered anxiety and depression and just wanted to be good, it was tough.

Wow, just wow. I wonder if larger centres are more subject to younger people going astray, because nobody knows you, whereas in smaller centres everyone knows you. I wonder how (if at all) that ties to problematic behaviour.

I seem to remember certain individuals partaking in dangerous activities more so than large groups or movements. It was the exception when I was growing up. Sex was always there, but not so prevalent as you speak of.

I feel so fortunate that my kids turned out to be grounded, because it would have been sheer chaos for them had it not been. husband and I, were never ones to tolerate out-of-bounds behaviour or activities.

 

[Pink Elephant]

ROFLMAO! I tried-out a long cigarette holder a few times but just couldn't get used to it, but one of my great aunts smoked cigarettes with one her entire life. Mind you, back in the day, cigarette holders were common, whereas now you'd be laughed off the planet. At least I think you'd be.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Pink, if somebody had told me to change a nasty cloth diaper with rubber pants when I was a kid, I would have refused. Period.

Do think growing up around it makes it easier, but aside from the added steps of using pins and rubber pants, it's really no different than changing a disposable. Used to take me nary a minute to change my kids when diapers were wet.

Could light a cigarette in the kitchen, and with cigarette in mouth, make my way down the hallway and into the baby's room, change both the baby and toddler, and make my way back down to the kitchen, and my cigarette still didn't need to be dashed, and that's stopping by the bathroom along the way to put the changed diapers in the pail. It was no-nonsense diaper-changing in our home.

 

[BusynMember]

Maybe .It's not that it was hard to do. I saw no logical reason to use a harder, stinkier, messier, more time consuming way. And I didn't know or see anyone who used cloth in my neck of the woods. I thought it caused diaper rash too which my kids never had to deal with much.

I always did what was less time consuming unless there was a clear benefit to the kids to do it differently. I used modern electronics for everything and saw no downside. My kids use modern conveniences too. Do yours?

One thing you need to know about my girls is that one lives four hours away and one is extremely independent so they do it their way. There is a grandma near Princess but Princess doesn't like how she treats my granddaughter and doesn't want her around the little girl because she is a chain smoker and both she and SO, her son, don't want cigarette smoke in their child's space. So she isn't allowed to be alone with granddaughter. Her other kids don't talk to her...she is not nice.

Back on track...when you aren't doing things for your grands do your kids use old fashion methods?

 

[Pink Elephant]

Maybe .It's not that it was hard to do. I saw no logical reason to use a harder, stinkier, messier, more time consuming way. And I didn't know or see anyone who used cloth in my neck of the woods. I thought it caused diaper rash too which my kids never had to deal with much.

I always did what was less time consuming unless there was a clear benefit to the kids to do it differently. I used modern electronics for everything and saw no downside. My kids use modern conveniences too. Do yours?

One thing you need to know about my girls is that one lives four hours away and one is extremely independent so they do it their way. There is a grandma near Princess but Princess doesn't like how she treats my granddaughter and doesn't want her around the little girl because she is a chain smoker and both she and SO, her son, don't want cigarette smoke in their child's space. So she isn't allowed to be alone with granddaughter. Her other kids don't talk to her...she is not nice.

Back on track...when you aren't doing things for your grands do your kids use old fashion methods?

When it comes to diaper rash, I really do believe it depends on the kid. Some kids hardly get rashes, no matter what type of diapers they wear, and then there are those who rash-up the instant they wet or soil.

My kids love all of the modern conveniences of today, though my oldest daughter does line-dry. Not as stringent as her mom, but she does occasionally line-dry.

As for my kids practicing anything old-fashioned in their homes, they don't, however, when my oldest daughter was ready and fit to take her children back from grandma, she (surprisingly) continued with the use of cloth diapers, not fulltime as grandma did, but nonetheless, she used them. Talk about earning brownie-points from me. LOL!

I tried not to smoke around my kids when I could, but have to be honest, being the stay-at-home mom that I was, I smoked, and yes, I could have been more stringent on stepping outside to have a cigarette, but back in those days there wasn't a lot of attention made to smoking indoors, even smoking around kids. Smoking was still accepted, and as a housewife I often went about my daily business with a cigarette between my fingers or in my mouth.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Another old-fashioned thing I remember doing not only as a mom but as a sitter, too, was running diaper pins through my hair when changing diapers (nighttime especially, when diapers were extra-bulky and thick). The natural oils from ones scalp and hair helped lubricate the pins, making them glide through the diapers super-easy.

 

[Pink Elephant]

Sanitary Panties! Oh my word! How I remember!

They even had a rubber crotch. Oh the shame...

With pad.

 

[AppleCori]

Sanitary Panties! Oh my word! How I remember!

They even had a rubber crotch. Oh the shame...

With pad.

Tell me these are for toddlers.....

 

[Pink Elephant]

LOL, Apple!

You don't remember them?

For toddlers? Nope. Special panties for that time of the month, back in the day.

But you're right, they do look as though they're diapers for babies.