The Good Old Days?
Gordon K. Glatz
May 21, 2007
I grew up from 1936 to 1954, and I remember what we have gained and lost since. People spent more time out doors, with walks in the park, or picnic outings to the country, woods, or seashore. They had back yard parties with singing and dancing, and played games in the yard. There were indoor and outdoor drive-in movies, and skating rinks. A dollar went a lot further, with 35-cent movies, and refreshments for a nickel, or a dime.
Times change, and so do people, but not as quickly as the times. Some people remain stuck in a rut, and some change too much. We tend to remember the bad more then the good when it has affected us personally. Like diseases that crippled and killed, but we have some now that are a lot worse and kill too.
Segregation was the norm, and should not have been, everyone should have the same rights under our bill of rights. I fondly believe in live and let live.
My daughter was that way, she only remembered the bad times. Though I do not know just when those were in her time, since I had stead work all of her growing years. How you look at what most people call, "the good old days", depends in just what period of history you grew up.
Kids now have the welfare, and law protecting their rights from their horrible parents. They do not have to worry about their parents punishing them for not following their moral rules. They would certainly not want the old times when they got their pants warmed if they didn't mind.
I find that every time I write something along these lines, the ones that object are usually of an age that did not know these times. I have a 36-year-old son, who I only really spanked once, he still remembers that time, and he says he had it coming. He agrees with me that parents should be able to spank, if they did as they use too, there would be less problems with the kids today.
The trouble is that so many people have blown this child abuse all out of proportion. Yes! There were cases of abusive fathers and mothers. However, millions of American families in the past with a decent loving mother and a father managed to raise decent kids with out the welfare, and with their own method of punishment, that included spanking. The kids did not grow up hating their parents, or in therapy.
My own mother use to use a willow stick, with a few leaves on the end. She applied it to the back of our legs, if she could catch us. There were five of us, and it was great fun for the neighbors to see her chasing five kids running in different directions. Of course, the stick very seldom made any contact, and she didn't use it after we made home plate.
My dad's weapon of choice was the razor strap, which he brandished with that look; you know the one that needed no words. I can how ever, never remember him ever actually using it. The one time he actually spanked one of us, was my brother, who was the apple of his eye, and could do no harm. That is until he hit my dad in the head with his sand pail, while he was sleeping on the couch with a newspaper over his face, and then he used his hand on his backside.
How about parental abuse, or don't you think it happens? Well I have seen many a cases of it and all because they were afraid to spank. Like the little darling who stood kicking her mother in the legs, while screaming and hollering profanities. Just because her mother dared to say the forbidden word, "NO", to her request to buy her something she wanted. While her mother stood there trying to avoid the kicks, and used words to try to stop her attack. Now be honest, how many of you would have been saying under your breath, "Smack the little brat".
Neighbors spoke up when they knew there was a definite problem. Where they knew the Father was really abusing the child, and usually the mother too. There was no welfare to report too; the neighbor gave the father a few licks, and straightened him out.
We didn't have that I know of back then, The American Civil liberties Union ( ACLU), that complains about our lose of rights. Any civil rights we have lost is due to the lazy citizens, who will not pay attention to what is going on with our government, and get out and vote to do something about it.
Ah, Yes! The good old days did have its good points, but I would not want to give up my TV or computer to return to those times.
Copyright May 2007 by G.K. Glatz
Times change, and so do people, but not as quickly as the times. Some people remain stuck in a rut, and some change too much. We tend to remember the bad more then the good when it has affected us personally. Like diseases that crippled and killed, but we have some now that are a lot worse and kill too.
Segregation was the norm, and should not have been, everyone should have the same rights under our bill of rights. I fondly believe in live and let live.
My daughter was that way, she only remembered the bad times. Though I do not know just when those were in her time, since I had stead work all of her growing years. How you look at what most people call, "the good old days", depends in just what period of history you grew up.
Kids now have the welfare, and law protecting their rights from their horrible parents. They do not have to worry about their parents punishing them for not following their moral rules. They would certainly not want the old times when they got their pants warmed if they didn't mind.
I find that every time I write something along these lines, the ones that object are usually of an age that did not know these times. I have a 36-year-old son, who I only really spanked once, he still remembers that time, and he says he had it coming. He agrees with me that parents should be able to spank, if they did as they use too, there would be less problems with the kids today.
The trouble is that so many people have blown this child abuse all out of proportion. Yes! There were cases of abusive fathers and mothers. However, millions of American families in the past with a decent loving mother and a father managed to raise decent kids with out the welfare, and with their own method of punishment, that included spanking. The kids did not grow up hating their parents, or in therapy.
My own mother use to use a willow stick, with a few leaves on the end. She applied it to the back of our legs, if she could catch us. There were five of us, and it was great fun for the neighbors to see her chasing five kids running in different directions. Of course, the stick very seldom made any contact, and she didn't use it after we made home plate.
My dad's weapon of choice was the razor strap, which he brandished with that look; you know the one that needed no words. I can how ever, never remember him ever actually using it. The one time he actually spanked one of us, was my brother, who was the apple of his eye, and could do no harm. That is until he hit my dad in the head with his sand pail, while he was sleeping on the couch with a newspaper over his face, and then he used his hand on his backside.
How about parental abuse, or don't you think it happens? Well I have seen many a cases of it and all because they were afraid to spank. Like the little darling who stood kicking her mother in the legs, while screaming and hollering profanities. Just because her mother dared to say the forbidden word, "NO", to her request to buy her something she wanted. While her mother stood there trying to avoid the kicks, and used words to try to stop her attack. Now be honest, how many of you would have been saying under your breath, "Smack the little brat".
Neighbors spoke up when they knew there was a definite problem. Where they knew the Father was really abusing the child, and usually the mother too. There was no welfare to report too; the neighbor gave the father a few licks, and straightened him out.
We didn't have that I know of back then, The American Civil liberties Union ( ACLU), that complains about our lose of rights. Any civil rights we have lost is due to the lazy citizens, who will not pay attention to what is going on with our government, and get out and vote to do something about it.
Ah, Yes! The good old days did have its good points, but I would not want to give up my TV or computer to return to those times.
Copyright May 2007 by G.K. Glatz
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