# Happy to Grow Up In the 50s and 60s



## SeaBreeze (Aug 10, 2013)

Seeing how things are today, and how they've been in the past I'm happy to have grown up in the 1950s and 1960s...couldn't pick a better time IMO.  How about you, do you feel the same?


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## Happyflowerlady (Aug 10, 2013)

SeaBreeze, I feel exactly the same as you ! Life was so different, so safe, and uncomplicated in the 50s.
I used to go across town with my friends, when I was the age to go trick or treating , and we never worried about being harmed, or getting anything unsafe in our bags.
 I loved it when I got a homemade cookie, which we usually had to sing a song to receive from a little Grandma-type lady.

When I was in Jr. High, I joined the local rifle range, and we learned to shoot an old military style 22, going through the shooting levels as we became better shooters. We started with prone, then sitting, kneeling, and finally standing positions, and received awards as we progressed through to our sharpshooter status. 
All families pretty much had a gun in the closet, but it was used for deer hunting, no one really needed one for protection.
There was no such thing as someone going crazy and shooting up innocent people.

We could go to a restaurant and order a Porterhouse steak rare, if you liked it that way, and no one ever got sick from it. We ate healthy foods, and there was not much heart disease, and cancer was an uncommon sickness.
Gas was around 17cents a gallon, crabs and chicken were 25 cents a lb, and milk still came with cream on top.
French fries were made from a real whole potato,  and curly-q fries were the greatest.

Kids  actually went outside and played after school, and we played kick the can, and cowboys & Indians , and used our Roy Rogers cap guns, and Red Ryder rifles .
We put the Mickey Mantle baseball cards in our bicycle spokes..... Who even dreamed they would become a valuable collectors item ? 
Yes, life growing up in the 50s was a wonderful experience, and I am glad I am a Baby Boomer.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 10, 2013)

Happyflowerlady said:


> SeaBreeze, I feel exactly the same as you ! Life was so different, so safe, and uncomplicated in the 50s.
> Yes, life growing up in the 50s was a wonderful experience, and I am glad I am a Baby Boomer.



:iagree:...if I passed on tonight, I'd be grateful to have lived the humble life I've lived as a 'boomer'...it's _all _good, wouldn't have it any other way! :sentimental:


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## Diwundrin (Aug 10, 2013)

Oh yes SB.  I sometimes wonder if we 'baby boomers' haven't been the luckiest generation ever to have been born because of our 'timing.'

We've seen the best of the old, enjoyed the 'natural' life as lived by our grandparents and that gave us the comparison to be able to appreciate the improvements.  And we have seen the best views of the planet before they built the car parks. 

Our parents  experienced the fastest advances ever made in human history, from buggy to moon lander.  We though were spared the buggies.


 We've watched technology and medical science make life steadily better and a whole lot more interesting throughout our lives.  How many other generations found their lives and circumstances continually improving as they aged?  
How much harder was it to be aged and infirm a Century ago?  
We've lived in a reasonably secure environment, after the World Wars and the fear and  deprivations that went with them.  And so far dodged the threat of the next big one.  

But further than that, I wouldn't want to be just starting out either.  While I enjoy the technology, and it's 'toys', I can't, hard as I try, see the future appealing to my more simple earthy tastes.  
I'm saddened to see the wild places tamed.  Disappointed for the young who take things that were wonderful to me for granted and treat them as ordinary.  
They won't be disappointed though of course as they too will grow and adapt to whatever the future brings.  But personally, no, I don't want to go there.  

I penned a ditty for my tombstone once in a cheesed off mood at what was happening to 'my' World and kind of 'flicking the bird' at future generations.

I've seen the Earth when it was green,
when air was clear, and Oceans clean.
The best of food, and times and friends,
but life and good things have their ends.
It isn't sad that I am dead,
I've won life's game, and am well ahead.


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## SeaBreeze (Aug 10, 2013)

Very well said Diwrundrin...Kudos!!!! :thumbsup:


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## Warrigal (Aug 10, 2013)

You've expressed my thoughts too Di.
It's been quite wonderful overall.
It's wonderful still.

(That's Pollyanna talking, of course, but I agree with her entirely)


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## Casper (Aug 10, 2013)

_*Completely agree Di and others.......
We're soooo lucky.....*__*The 50s and 60s were the best times ever.......
Even though we may not have realized it back then*_:dito::thumbsup:


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## Warrigal (Aug 10, 2013)

Mind you, I wouldn't want to be stuck in the 50s and 60s forever.
I'm glad we've moved on.


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## Bee (Aug 11, 2013)

Mmmm thinking of growing up in the 50's and 60's is just a reminder to me that I am getting older and I also have less sleep than I did back then.:notfair:


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## GDAD (Aug 11, 2013)

Here is a 60s rememberence sight!...enjoy

http://www.the60sofficialsite.com/I_Remember_When.html:yeah:


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## Jillaroo (Aug 11, 2013)

_Wow there were some great memories there thanks Gdad_


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## Diwundrin (Aug 11, 2013)

Except for some of the brands we had a parallel 60's really.  Probably ours was a year behind though.


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## Jillaroo (Aug 11, 2013)

_Wouldn't swap them for any other years, they were great_


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## GDAD (Aug 11, 2013)

DI: America never had JOHNNY O'KEEFE....:excitement::applouse::rockon:


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## Diwundrin (Aug 11, 2013)

Lucky them.  
Sorry Gdad, I was never a fan of his at all.  Nor Elvis for that matter. Liked Rock and Roll but didn't have any 'idols'.  
The Rolling Stones were the only band I'd have bothered going to a concert to see.  Still are.


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## rkunsaw (Aug 11, 2013)

Even better, I grew up in the 40s and 50s, I was a teenager when Rock&Roll was born.


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## Bee (Aug 11, 2013)

It was really the 40's and 50' I grew up in and overlapping into the 60's, rock 'n' roll was my favourite music when it first made an appearance and I still enjoy it to this day.


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## JustBonee (Aug 11, 2013)

rkunsaw said:


> Even better, I grew up in the 40s and 50s, I was a teenager when Rock&Roll was born.




Same here.   We are one lucky generation  ... such great memories!


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## Pappy (Aug 11, 2013)

It was a great time to grow up. I look back and wonder why it seemed to go by so fast. I was alone a lot of the time, but still could entertain myself for hours building model airplanes, listening to radio, hiking, exploring caves and empty barns, getting butted by grandpas mean old goat, and hundreds of other things I enjoyed. (Not so much the butting to the rear by Bachlor Button.) stupid goat.

here's a couple oldies. Circa 1948-1950. Me on bike and buddy Terry on an Easter Sunday. Quality is not to good.


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## SifuPhil (Aug 11, 2013)

Not to be a kill-joy - okay, I AM a kill-joy layful: - but maybe the reason we think we grew up in the best of times is because we don't _know_ - we _can't_ know - any other.

Our personal pasts are almost always seen through rose-tinted glasses. Yes, growing up in the '60's was magical for me, looking back at it, but I suppose it's because I was unspoiled by the world at that point. I had no responsibilities except going to school, eating and excreting wastes, and through being severely chastised eventually  learned not to try doing all three at once.

I often wonder, now, what it would have been like to grow up in different times. Victorian London, ancient Rome, even the American Wild West of the 1800's. Would I have looked back in my senior years and thought that I had lived the most wonderful of all possible lives? 

Probably, because I wouldn't have _known_ any other. 

Not to blow any minds, but metaphysically speaking had I been born in any other time I wouldn't _be_ who and what I am now. I can only know what appears to be perfect for myself as I am _right this moment_ - any other alternate timeline would have produced a totally different person with a very different idea of what constituted a wonderful life ...


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## That Guy (Aug 11, 2013)

rkunsaw said:


> Even better, I grew up in the 40s and 50s, I was a teenager when Rock&Roll was born.



My older sister was in junior high school when rock 'n' roll was being born and I've always thanked her for making me listen to those fantastic sounds.


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## That Guy (Aug 11, 2013)

The fifties were those days when we played outside all day and didn't have to wear helmets . . . 

I enjoyed the best and the worst of the sixties.  It was truly a time of major cultural changes world wide.


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## Ozarkgal (Aug 11, 2013)

Phil:





> Not to be a kill-joy - okay, I AM a kill-joy layful: - but maybe the reason we think we grew up in the best of times is because we don't _know - we can't know - any other._




Yea, Yea, Yea....keep out of my fantasy world..layful:


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## SifuPhil (Aug 11, 2013)

Ozarkgal said:


> Phil:
> 
> 
> Yea, Yea, Yea....keep out of my fantasy world..layful:



*sigh* Now I know how lonely it can be when you're above-average in intelligence ...

As Sherlock Holmes once said, "I wonder what it's like in that little world of yours?" 

Oops, gotta go - the unicorns are hungry, haven't had their Skittles yet!


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## Bee (Aug 11, 2013)

Quote from Charles Dickens...A Tale of Two Cities


_*It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. 

*_I think this could apply to any era that people grow up in.


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## Pappy (Aug 11, 2013)

That Guy said:


> My older sister was in junior high school when rock 'n' roll was being born and I've always thanked her for making me listen to those fantastic sounds.



I remember the first R and R song I bought. Rock around the clock with Bill Haley and the Comets. I too went from the big band sound right into R and R. I worked planting Christmas trees for 50 cents an hour so that I could buy my first record player with detachable speakers. I had a rubber pad mounted on a old piano stool and would sit and drum on this pad, with music, for hours.

i still have a few 45s down south. Remember Earth Angel, Honey Don't, Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins to mention a few?


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## That Guy (Aug 11, 2013)

Pappy said:


> I remember the first R and R song I bought. Rock around the clock with Bill Haley and the Comets. I too went from the big band sound right into R and R. I worked planting Christmas trees for 50 cents an hour so that I could buy my first record player with detachable speakers. I had a rubber pad mounted on a old piano stool and would sit and drum on this pad, with music, for hours.
> 
> i still have a few 45s down south. Remember Earth Angel, Honey Don't, Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins to mention a few?



Loved all those songs, Pappy, and still love that cool big band sound, too.


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## JustBonee (Aug 11, 2013)

A little nostalgia from the 50's  ..... 

[h=2]Top Songs Of The 1950s[/h]Popular songs from the Fifties Decade, arranged by year but in no particular order. Do you remember listening to these songs on the radio?

19501951

Sentimental Me - Ames Brothers
Mona Lisa - Nat King Cole
All My Love - Patti Page
I Wanna Be Loved - Andrews Sisters
Music! Music! Music! - Teresa Brewer


If - Perry Como
How High the Moon - Les Paul & Mary Ford
Because of You - Tony Bennett
Come On-a My House - Rosemary Clooney
Be My Love - Mario Lanza


19521953

You Belong to Me - Jo Stafford
Here in My Heart - Al Martino
Why Don't You Believe Me - Joni James
Heart and Soul - The Four Aces
Unforgettable - Nat King Cole


The Doggie in the Window - Patti Page
Your Cheatin' Heart - Hank Williams
Till I Waltz Again With You - Teresa Brewer
That's Amore - Tony Bennett
Vaya Con Dios - Les Paul & Mary Ford


19541955

Secret Love - Doris Day
Mr. Sandman - The Chordettes
I Need You Now - Eddie Fisher
Sh-Boom - Crew-Cuts
Make Love to Me - Jo Stafford


Rock Around the Clock - Bill Haley and the Comets
Yellow Rose of Texas - Mitch Miller
Earth Angel - The Penguins
Autumn Leaves - Roger Williams
Love is a Many Splendored Thing - The Four Aces


19561957

Tutti Frutti - Little Richard
I Walk the Line - Johnny Cash
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
The Great Pretender - The Platters


Tammy - Debbie Reynolds
You Send Me - Sam Cooke
All Shook Up - Elvis Presley
Love Letters in the Sand - Pat Boone
Great Balls of Fire - Jerry Lee Lewis


19581959

Fever - Peggy Lee
Tequila - The Champs
Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
It's Only Make Believe - Conway Twitty
All I Have to Do is Dream - The Everly Brothers


Peggy Sue Got Married - Buddy Holly
Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin
La Bamba - Ritchie Valens
Personality - Lloyd Price
Venus - Frankie Avalon


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## SifuPhil (Aug 11, 2013)

No wonder I'm so messed up - the year I was born the top songs were _Fever, Tequila_ and _It's Only Make-Believe_


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## Anne (Aug 11, 2013)

Aw Phil, you just had to come along and wreck our little rose-colored glasses didn't ya, with the philosophical stuff???   *J/K....*I agree with you; it was the only time we knew and really had no other time to compare it to.
I used to say I was born too late (that was a song, too), and should've been born in Pioneer days, when families stayed together and prayed together;  people worked hard, but times were more simple....but, I know full well that it wasn't 'good times' back then, either.    

I do have good memories of times that were safer; and I wonder what happened that brought us to a world that is no longer safe for our grandchildren, even in our own neighborhoods.   What changed so much that people have gotten so desperate and downright nuts at times??   That could be another whole thread, tho.

All in all, we're fortunate to have those memories of the better times; some are not so lucky.


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## That Guy (Aug 12, 2013)

Warrigal said:


> Mind you, I wouldn't want to be stuck in the 50s and 60s forever.
> I'm glad we've moved on.



Exactly.  Every period has its good (and bad) memories.  I worry about those stuck in the past...


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## SifuPhil (Aug 12, 2013)

Actually, in thinking about it, what would be so terrible about being stuck in a certain time?

I know _The Twilight Zone_ and _Star Trek_ have done episodes on this and it's a favorite subject of sci-fi writers, but of course they're going to look only at the downside for the sake of dramatic effect. But given that you wouldn't have the knowledge of the _now_ - that you wouldn't know what's going to happen in the future - I can't believe that at least a few people wouldn't choose to go back in time. 

The problem, of course, is that since you wouldn't have any idea that you had indeed gone back in time, or why, you would just live out your life pretty much the same way you already had. Still, it's an enticing offer ... 

Anne, interesting that you said -



			
				Anne said:
			
		

> I do have good memories of times that were safer; and I wonder what  happened that brought us to a world that is no longer safe for our  grandchildren, even in our own neighborhoods.   What changed so much  that people have gotten so desperate and downright nuts at times??



Something very close to that was just in one of our local independent newspapers, in an article that was calling out the mayor for not taking care of business. In this case, they mentioned how kids used to jump on their bikes for a ride to the corner store or a family would go out for a post-dinner walk without having to worry about being shot (a problem this town is experiencing in record numbers this past year) ...


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## nan (Aug 12, 2013)

I can remember the good old days of the drive-inn theatres, we have only one left here now, the others have all gone to make way for new housing developments.I also liked the fact that you could leave your house open with relative safety if you went out for the day, not any more though.


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## That Guy (Aug 13, 2013)

nan said:


> I can remember the good old days of the drive-inn theatres, we have only one left here now, the others have all gone to make way for new housing developments.I also liked the fact that you could leave your house open with relative safety if you went out for the day, not any more though.



Wasn't that nice . . . leaving the house open and the car unlocked?!  My neighbor knows better but leaves his house open and it drives me crazy.


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## Sassycakes (Mar 1, 2016)

I was born in the late 40's and they were wonderful days. Family get together's 
and vacations spent together.Having  many cousins who were also friends.Playing outside 
till late at night. The biggest worry in school wasn't school shootings,and the fear of a bomb 
could be solved by getting under a wooden desk,and in my school seeing a Nun with a ruler
 looking to hit someone was another fear.. In the 50's I went to dances every Friday,Saturday and Sunday night.
Of course there was the Korean war that my Older brother served in and then the 60's 
the Viet Nam war. I think every decade had good and bad times. I just can't see the Good 
times in the years we are  in now,I can only see the bad. I wish the children of today
had some of the good days we had then.


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## Cookie (Mar 1, 2016)

Sorry to burst the bubbles, but the 'good old days' only exist in our imaginations.  If one was a white middle American class kid, he/she is sure to have had a fine time in the 50s/60s, unless they were scared out of their skulls every time there was a air raid drill at school and they had to hide under their desk (fear of nuclear attack by Russians).  

If one was was in post-war Europe or Latin America, or worse in Japan after the A-bombs, things would be quite different, UK was completely cleaned out after the war and only upper classes had it easy.  If one was a gay in the 50s they would go to prison for it, and if one was black one's fate would be even worse.  

Personally, as a kid in Canada in the 50s and 60s, I enjoyed an innocent childhood.  But my parents survived the war in Europe and we were always thankful.

 Times are what they are with good and bad everywhere, still crime, still war and still domestic abuse (worse in the 50s with women a kind of domestic slave.  We really need to check our privilege.


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## fureverywhere (Mar 1, 2016)

I grew up in the late 60's early 70's. The best thing was having a neighborhood of kids to play with. There was this huge construction site in the back of our housing development. It took several years for it to become a building, until then it was our playground. The thing I envy with today's kids is the video games. Even simple stuff like cooking and hair cutting games...Fruit Ninja...positively addictive. But I think we were healthier back in the day. You were outside every day after school until dark. On the weekends you watched morning cartoons and were out the door. A lot more exercise than kids get now I'm sure.


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## chic (Mar 2, 2016)

The freedoms and prosperity of the '50's and '60's remains unparalled. It was an awesome time to be born and to grow up. Domestic pets could run free safely and you didn't have to walk a dog or even leash one. Our pets mostly did their business out of doors. 
Doctor visits cost only $15.00 and he'd come to our house. He had walk-in appointments anytime at his office so everyone in my family and friends too, had really good health.
Gun control was never an issue because almost everyone owned one (or more) and knew how to handle them responsibly. No one went to their workplace and shot people to death there. Ditto schools.  Vacations were spent with family without question yet everyone had a great time. Each family owned a car. Mostly just one car - *the family car.* So pollution was less of an issue. We didn't have cellphones yet we survived, and it was awesome to engage in an activity uninterrupted. 
The music was great, the art was colorful. The food was affordable, fresh, untampered with, and plenty of it. Cancer was a rarity in my world back then. Flower children and the age of Aquarius made us socially conscious. 
The US's successes in the space race made me proud. 

I'm happy to have been a boomer.


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## Ameriscot (Mar 2, 2016)

Cookie said:


> Sorry to burst the bubbles, but the 'good old days' only exist in our imaginations.  If one was a white middle American class kid, he/she is sure to have had a fine time in the 50s/60s, unless they were scared out of their skulls every time there was a air raid drill at school and they had to hide under their desk (fear of nuclear attack by Russians).
> 
> If one was was in post-war Europe or Latin America, or worse in Japan after the A-bombs, things would be quite different, UK was completely cleaned out after the war and only upper classes had it easy.  If one was a gay in the 50s they would go to prison for it, and if one was black one's fate would be even worse.
> 
> ...



Exactly right. I grew up in the 50s and 60s and was ideal to me. But as a white, straight American girl. It wasn't ideal for minorities etc.


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## Ralphy1 (Mar 2, 2016)

Ahh, nostalgia, ain't it grand.  And life was good back then providing you weren't a minority of some sort...


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