While visiting a local fast food establishment the other day. (Yeah I know... the Fat Planet eating fast food? no!!) They asked me if I wanted a small combo. I said sure. With that combo came a 20oz drink. This was a "small" drink according to them. Now back in the 70's and part of the 80's when I was just a tiny planet, this "small' drink was considered a large. What is now the "kid" size was a small back then. It just got me thinking how much things have changed since I was a kid. I totally understand what our parents used to tell us while we were growing up. How things have changed so much, but we just didn't get it. Now I think about it all the time.Remember when you could go out to play for hours and hours with your friends without having to check in every two seconds to let your parents know you were alright? These days you are considered a bad parent if you don't keep tabs on your kids 24/7. I believe that violent crimes are way down since I was a kid, yet we are required to be paranoid parents these days. I don't really like it, but I don't know if there is much I can do about it. Society is just too paranoid.
Remember when you would come home from school when you were in elementary and you could just go out an play? Maybe in 4th to 6th grade you would get a few math problems to finish, but that was about it.... My 1st & 3rd graders have homework every night. I just can't believe the volume of stuff they have to do. We never had that when we were kids. I don't even think I had a back pack until junior high. My kids come home with stuffed book bags everyday. It's just ridiculous!
Remember when you were in high school.... Maybe going through a rough patch? It was just the "end of the world"... I look back now and think, "what a wuss". I can't believe that I was upset over some of the stuff I went through in high school. Compared to what you face as an adult. I would gladly take those "problems" today compared to the real issues of being an adult.
Remember when you could go to McDonald's and get a twist cone for 25 cents plus tax? These days I can't get a twist cone and I certainly won't get it for under a buck.... Pack of gum? 25 cents.... Gas? 89 cents a gallon! $5 used to go a long way as a teenaged driver.... $2 movie tickets.... Pay phones? 10 cents.
Remember when you needed to go to the library to get info on just about everything? I was in college at the very beginning of the internet, but it really didn't take off until I was done with school. eMail? I think I had a VAX email account at Mankato State, but I never used. I didn't get a real email account until 1997 with my yahoo address.... I can't tell you how much easier school would have been to have that type of resource when I was young.
Remember when you could go out and play hockey, football.... whatever.... and not wake up the next morning in pain? I am much much more conservative than I was as a kid. But my body just can't do it anymore. If I did 1/4 of what I did as a kid I would be in the hospital.
Remember when no one wore helmets while riding their bikes? I still don't, but I already have some brain damage so it really doesn't matter for me. This is totally politically incorrect, but back when we were kids..... The "retarded" kids wore helmets while riding their bikes. Don't rip on me for that comment. There was no such thing as political correctness back when I was a kid. So I am just stating it for how it was back then.... Of course now, I would never let my kids go without a helmet. I think the kids without a helmet are the dumb ones. I guess it all comes back to being a paranoid parent.
Remember when days seemed to go on forever? My childhood seemed to last the longest time. It took forever to get through elementary, junior high and high school... After that, everything just sped up exponentially. The days just fly by now. My kids are growing up too fast. And of course I keep getting older. It seems like I just got married, yet I have been married for over 11 years! What?!?! Why is everything flying by so fast? I am just 3 years away from 40, but it seems like I just turned 21. This just sucks!
Remember when I started this post? I thought it would be fun to think of the old days. Now I just feel old!
