The Way It Use To Be...

How are you today? Can I interest you in a little nostalgia? This may be a bit long, but hopefully it will bring back some memories. 


  Those of us who grew up in the 50's-70's lived lives that were seemingly freer during this time. We had games that we played: songs, chants rhymes, and jokes. We use to play in the streets, run, skip, chase sometimes barefoot with our dogs barking behind us.
Remember?

playing in the street

leap frog in the street

Dress uo

Tea party

paper dolls

Playing with dolls

Cabbage patch dolls

Boys and baseball cards

Boys with their Marbles

  Girls played with dolls, played house and dress up...make believe. We had paper dolls and collected them. Boys collected baseball cards, marbles, (exchanged with their buddies). I remember how they would huddle frequently, even during recess to play games of marble. They built dirt roads, hills and tunnels to play with their toy trucks and cars. We rode tricycles and bikes in the street...unlike it is today!

Hopscotch and jump rope

Swing into the lake to swim
   Played hopscotch, jumping rope, playing tag, stick ball and stick horse for the boys. Boys went swimming in the lakes and ponds and built swings from tree limbs to swing out over the water and then, dive in. We rolled old tires, and bike rims with a stick: we played a lot of these games in the street involving neighborhood kids.

Jacks, board games and old maid cards

   We would play board games, loved old maids; and games of jacks with as many as ten sitting in a circle on the floor. Sometimes, our aunts, uncles, parents and cousins were right there with us. Boy did we have fun! 


We would walk, sometimes a couple of miles to relatives' houses and grandma's and never feared being snatched by predators! We played outside til dark: sat on the stoop with friends, then walked them part-the-way-home with no fear. 
  
  We had PE in school every grade, and we had by grades pageants, concerts and costume plays. Parents proudly attend all of these programs where they received accolades from others for their child's performances. (I loved learning my lines for these programs and did this all the way to my senior play.)

  On our black-n-white televisions, (It was 'something' for you to have...that's why the neighborhood children were always at our house) we watched loony toons, captain Kangaroo with Mr. Green-
jeans, Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Woody Woodpecker, Mr Rogers, Yogi, Tarzan, and Westerns, etc.

  We listened to music on the radio,  and watched American Bandstand. I had a record player for my 45's then, and order them from a station in Nashville. I would put a few on and sit on the stoop with my short bottle coke-cola, sipping ans singing. I wasn't allowed to go to the hang-outs with others my age, because I was preparing for my ball. (I'm trying to be modest ladies, he he) 
  
  Yeah, there weren't any computer games or computers, internet, I pods, Facebook or twitter, surround sound, flat screens...just our black-n-white. Too, we had air conditioners, but didn't think about them while we played outside or until it got too hot. 
  Things happened in the world around us but my parents were very protective and gave us the best childhood. Wow, those were the day, huh?