What it was like Growing Up in 1960’s and 1970’s America

Metallicman ^ | 23DEC18 | Editorial staff

[vannrox]

Here, I would like to relate a little about what it was like growing up as a boy in Pennsylvania. For, I am a native born American who lived through the 1960’s and through the 1970’s. I am pretty typical for my generation. The 1970’s was the decade of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. It ended on a whimper with Jimmy Carter at the helm. Here we talk about the 1960’s and 1970’s and what it was like growing up at that time. School

I attended elementary school. First I attended a private Catholic school in Connecticut, and then when my father was promoted we moved and I attended a public school in Western Pennsylvania.

Allowance

Before I started work, I was permitted an allowance. My sisters both received an allowance with no strings attached. Mine was contingent upon my successful completion of my chores, and usually meant that I would get “paid” after I mowed the grass on Saturday (shoveled the drive in the Winter).



As a kid, my allowance of $1.00 per week was given to me every Saturday afternoon after the grass was successfully mowed. The hardest part was deciding how to spend it and get the very most out of every penny. Of course, a trip to the corner store for candy always figured into the picture!

One of my favorite treats was Dubble Bubble – a hard piece of pink bubble gum that included a tiny printed comic tucked between the gum and the outer wrapper, all for just a penny. I remember my first experience with inflation – the day when the

[ThePatriotsFlag]

Thank you for YOUR memories...they woke up my memories. Born in ‘42, so I got to watch you folks geow up,

[Redleg Duke]

I was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1947. My Dad was in journalism school on the GI bill. I grew up in Reedsburg, with Grandparents in Wonewoc, Mauston and Amberg (North of Green Bay).

Allowance was $0.50/week. Life for a young boy in a rual farming community was a delight! Bicycling, fishing, baseball, sandlot football, fishing, adventures in the woods and fields, fishing, and did I mention, FISHING?

Three Stooges and Micky Mouse Club, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best.

Life was good, surrounded by Veterans of World War I, World War II and the Kids from the Korean War. Taught to love my country in my school, church and home. Boy Scouts were like you saw in “Follow Me, Boys”.

Then, in the late 60s, the country turned to shit! Thanks, Liberals!

[Tennessee Conservative]

LOL, I wondered if anybody would notice that. My dad was a very patriotic person and a staunch Republican. My mom is from Ohio and I always told people I felt like I was a mixed breed (South marries North). She was a Democrat and when we were little she didn’t drive. Dad wouldn’t take her to vote unless she promised to vote Republican. :-) Who knows what she really did once she got there. She can’t stand Democrats now and has been voting Republican for decades. Dad has been gone for 5 years now but Mom is still plugging along at 85.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I grew up in Yokohama, an Army Brat in the 1950s.
I liked to go fishing off the San Kai-en Garden park sea shore.
I could rent a row boat from an old Japanese man for 100 yen, about $.25 back then.

I fished for crab coming in with the tide. Other Japanese kids were doing the same with bamboo pole stabbing forks. They built a fire and we cooked and ate the crab legs.
They spoke no English and my Nihon was limited but we all knew what we liked.

Today, the tidal area has been land-filled and is the home to an oil refinery and Nissan car assembly plant.

[Susquehanna Patriot]

In other words, we played “Army”, or “War” or “Cowboys and Indians” with dirt bombs, cap guns too.

[Deplorable American1776]

The teacher looked like a High School teacher of mine, who was nicknamed ‘Bigfoot’.

[exDemMom]

I will always maintain the opinion that the country turned the corner downwards with the election of Johnson over Goldwater in ‘64.

That election turned out that way because of a massive smear/fear campaign put on by the left. Unfortunately, smear/fear campaigns work. That is why the left never runs on ideas, but only on personal destruction of the candidate who *is* running on ideas.

This trend was not accidental. It was part of the effort by the Soviets to place moles in places of influence—academia, entertainment, and the news media. The irony with the “Russia, Russia, Russia” drumbeat is that the left would never have reached the level of power and influence it has without the active involvement of Russia. Ditto for the degradation of our culture.

[V_TWIN]

I think you mean Ian Anderson.......but I get the joke. :^)

[Delta 21]

Our heros did things like this that held the world trembling in fear and trying to play catch up for over 5 decades.

[OttawaFreeper]

Back when the NHL was like the above (just an example, no need for snide comments from Flyers fans and others, please).

[Fiji Hill]

Grew up about the same time but in California. We had a huge family, so the money was thin but we had delights like drive-in movies where all of us could see first-run movies cheaply from our 1955 Ford station wagon.

We would frequently go to drive-in movies in our 1958 Edsel Villager station wagon. If the movie had mature themes such as "Bell, Book and Candle" or "The Diary of Anne Frank,, the kids could stretch out and sleep in the back.

But one movie we all had to stay up for, even though it ran way past our bedtime, was "Sunrise at Campobello" because it was a hagiography about St. Franklin D. I am very likely the only one on FR who has watched the movie all the way through.

[vietvet67]

I’ll vote for the 1950’s as the best time for growing up as a kid.

[Midwesterner53]

My thoughts exactly on seeing that teacher. The Caveman before he became famous.

[Vendome]

You went to school with the painter guy?

Kewel...

[Daffynition]

The photographer gave you a *free* comb, just B4 the pictures were snapped.

I always thought that was pretty cool.

[Midwesterner53]

My sister and I started first grade in 1959 in south GA. We rode our bikes about 2 miles each way to school down a fairly busy street with a bike section marked off and then across a very busy street to school, parked our bikes in the bike rack unlocked, repeated the trip home each afternoon. Never a single problem. I can’t conceive of letting a young child do that now.

[BlackbirdSST]

One of my favorite treats was Dubble Bubble – a hard piece of pink bubble gum that included a tiny printed comic tucked between the gum and the outer wrapper, all for just a penny.

ummm, Bazooka?

[JonPreston]

Jethro Tull was a literary character

Well aware.

[Daffynition]

**And we might have evidence that teaching’s so easy even a caveman can do it.**

Compared to the 2018 schools, I guess it seems that way.

Filmstrips. A godsend to use up about 30 mins. of classtime.

[MinorityRepublican]

I bet you could get dope from that teacher.