I'm a 30-something, and havent experienced much more than the general membership here, I'm sure, but I get the most amazing "stop and think about this for a second...." moments when I consider how much our world has changed over the lives of us all.
For me - I've lived without a cell phone. I was in high school when people who had pagers were considered to be drug dealers. I grew up with Oregon Trail in my teens. Most people didn't have computers at home. The mountain I lived on didn't have cable TV, so we had only 3 channels. Our roads weren't paved, and Saturday afternoons were spent jumping into the river swinging off vines. Call waiting and caller ID were a really big deal, but we didn't get them because they cost more money.
My grandma tells me they didn't have wheelchairs. She was a nurse in her white cap and skirt and tights. She had an alcoholic, abusive husband at a time when that was shameful to even mention. My grandpa tells me no one on his street had a TV. It was a really big deal when someone got one, and everyone whispered about it.
My 90-something patient told me about how so much of healthcare took place at home because you really, really had to be messed up for mom to go get the horses and carriage ready to go to the doctor. She got in big trouble once when she broke her arm falling from a tree.
What have you lived through? What pieces of history stay with you?
BTW, my cigt. purchasing as a child happened in the late 1950's. Different world then.
Yep, dancing baby is definitely creepy! I was buying cigarettes for my dad at the corner store with a note up to the mid '70's. About the time I hit 12 they didn't even ask for a note anymore. By the time I was 14 I was buying them for myself without difficulty. I was born in '65 so that would've been the late '70's...and yes I smoked at 14 sad to say.
I remember what my Grandpa use to say, ".................................................(silence)....." My grandpa didn't say much.
I watched the movie E.T. in the theater when it first came out.
I watched my sister put on her black Members Only jacket and boy did she look cool with her hair in "wings".
I inhaled so much second hand smoke while at home, in the care, hospital waiting rooms, Church parking lot, restaurants, movie theaters because smoking was acceptable EVERYWHERE. My lungs probably have stock in the Marlboro Co.
I have a scare on my arm from the chicken pox vaccine.
Prank calling while at a slumber parties. You could do it then since there was no caller ID.
Ding dong ditch (ringing people's doorbells and running).
Sneaking out.
Watching MTV ALL DAY during the summer.
Playing outside all day and coming home when it was time for dinner. We would go all over the neighborhood. Walk to 7-11. When I lived in apartment complexes I remember "dumpster diving."
Jude Blume books. Remember SuperFudge?
People smoking EVERYWHERE. I grew up with just my Mom and she was a heavy smoker. I'm sure I smelled like smoke. In elementary school I remember everyone making ashtrays for their parents.
Jean jackets with patches all over them.
Talent shows in elementary school. I remember doing She's a Maniac from Flashdance in the 5th or 6th grade.
Riding in the back of pickup trucks.
Riding in the front with no seatbelts.
Looking forward to getting the TV guide in the Sunday paper and seeing what was on the following week.
Watching Saturday morning cartoons.
Remember being able to watch TV with my Mom in the evenings. The shows were mostly family friendly. Loved Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Who's the Boss, Growing Pains, Family Ties, Eight is Enough, etc....
I remember seeing E.T. in the theatre.
Wearing "cutoff shirts." My brother would cut off the sleeves on his shirts (muscle shirts).
My Mom had a large stereo console that played records and 8-tracks. I remember her Donna Summer 8-tracks.
Getting a busy signal when calling your friends. I remember the phones hooked to the wall. I remember my Mom would snap my fingers at me if I wasn't being quiet while she was on the phone. I remember cordless phones were a big deal as well as call waiting and answering machines.
Walkmans and jamboxes. I remember making "mix" tapes.
Perms. I really wanted a "spiral" perm, but my perms never turned out good.
My first famous crush was Michael Jackson. I LOVED him. I had a Michael Jackson notebook, wallet, pins, etc..... I remember trading Duran Duran pictures for Michael Jackson pictures in the 5th grade.
I was a huge 80's rock fan. Loved the hair bands and going to concerts. Loved Stryper, Queensryche, Def Leppard, Dokken, Scorpions, Metallica, and many, many more.
I could keep going on and on. It amazes me how much time has gone by and how fast it has gone.
anon456, BSN, RN
3 Articles; 1,144 Posts