What were treats to you but are commonplace to your kids?
A friend posted an interesting comment the other day on Facebook. He pointed out some things that he would have considered treats growing up that just seem commonplace to his daughters.
Some examples were: watermelon, eating at a sit-down restaurant (not a pizza place) and going to the zoo.
Michael and I discussed if the difference had to do with having more affluence than one’s parents, but Michael didn’t think so. He thinks it’s more about parents spoiling their kids these days. (But those items don’t seem like expensive things.) Could that be softened a little to say parents want to offer their kids more experiences?
What are some example so treats from your childhood that your kids would consider commonplace now? Why do you think that is?
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68 comments Add your comment
Fred ™
July 11th, 2012
1:32 am
New York Strips. Eating at $50 a plate restaurants (actually that wasn’t a treat for me, it just never happened). Candy. Coke. Toys (never had any). Attention (didn’t get any of that either lol). A choice (in anything).
Damn the list is endless, where do I stop?
Fred ™
July 11th, 2012
1:35 am
Pretty cool theresa. You toss something up when most everyone HERE is asleep and it’s not even 10 your time. Leaves your whole day tomorrow free.
Have you been to the Desert Museum yet?
Oh wait, I forgot, you don’t actually answer questions or participate in your “blog’ any more. What was I thinking………
gtmom
July 11th, 2012
6:48 am
Growing up with a garden, I had watermelon way more as a child than my kids do now. I also ate out more as a child than my kids do. My father took us out to dinner every Sunday after church. My mother (they were seperated) had us living on takeout. My kids get to go out to eat about every two weeks. I enjoy providing them with nutritious meals that I know exactly what is in them. I remember coke and tea flowing freely in my house when I was little. Sweet tea was made every day. I have never made sweet tea (at least once I left my home) and coke is not brought in to my house now. I probably spend more on food than my parents did but that is because food that is good for you is not cheap. I remember getting a little debbie after every meal for cleaning my plate!
Now on going places, I grew up in a rural area. My kids live in the city. We do not like giving them stuff (toys) being that my kids never really play with it. So we do a lot more life experiences than my parents did. It is very easy to go to the zoo (it is just a short walk). We love hiking and visiting parks. Sport events are within reach. So yes, my kids are probably very spoiled on life experiences and they probably take it for granted.
whathehey!
July 11th, 2012
7:09 am
I’m in my 60’s, but I remember my Mom would buy one six pack of bottled Coke per week on Friday(payday) . That was it.. if we finished the six pack before the next Friday, well too bad because we were not getting anymore Coke until the end of the week,Friday. Now Coke is as common as water.
FCM
July 11th, 2012
7:30 am
“having more affluence than one’s parents”
Are things that different in AZ? GA has one of the highest unemployment rates, highest foreclosure rates, and a large number of business that went belly up. Many kids are having to give up college due to lack of funds. Those that make it out are moving back home with Mom & Dad due to lack of employment. (Yes MJG I know your son is not one of those and I am proud of him for that!!)
While the President says the recession is over…many people here are still digging themselves out from under it.
I am thankful everyday that I had a job during the worst of it, and pray harder that our (national) situations improve. However, I do not think that today’s average family is more affluent than my parents were in 1986.
As to what my kids have as treats that I didn’t? Well since the divorce they see Florida more often than I did. They have 2 Uncles living on the beach, so they see that more too. We still do movies, dinner out, pizza night, and for our “vacation” this year we spent a day at White Water (they loved it!). After looking at the budget, and their Dad failing to his child support, White Water was the best I could do.
I really don’t think
Jeff
July 11th, 2012
7:33 am
Soft drinks, eating out at all, new clothes, vacations more than 200 miles away.
Jeff
July 11th, 2012
7:39 am
Good job FCM. Love ya!
shaggy
July 11th, 2012
7:51 am
Yes, I really want to take little Jimmy to the zoo or better yet a circus, so Jimmy can see the cute big cats and BIG elephants confined into a small space, with that “happy, happy” look in their eyes…you know the Thank You people for giving me this “protection” and making me do these fun tricks for Jimmy’’s entertainment look…even though I have to be “coaxed” by that spike tool or whip.
It’s humane, dontcha think?
Don’t ya’ll just love it when the circus comes to town? And, little Jimmy’s squeals of laughter when the big cat in the zoo paces back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth…looking for something that they have lost…just what is that anyway?
Augusta
July 11th, 2012
7:56 am
I can’t think of anything…we weren’t spoiled, and we don’t spoil our kids. I’m trying to instill family values and morals into my children. They know they are loved, but we do not love them with material possessions. We love with our hearts and our words.
We have ONE game system, Wii, which is kept in our family room. My kids don’t have cell phones, Ninetendos, DVD players in our cars, etc. We live a normal life, within our means.
Two kids play sports at one time, and two are in music at one time. When those sessions end, they switch.
All my kids have chores, which are to be completed on a weekly basis. If they are not completed by Saturday, they don’t get to go off with Daddy to breakfast and run errands……
JATL
July 11th, 2012
8:54 am
I do think too many parents try to buy and give their kids everything these days, but I also think it depends on where you live and what you enjoy. When I was a child, a trip to the zoo was a big deal -a once a year thing. I grew up about an hour south of Atlanta, and you just didn’t go to the zoo all the time. Now I live down the street and we’ve had a membership since we had children. We go constantly because they and we love it. Now Skyzone up in Suwanee or wherever it is is a treat for them -I don’t care for it and it’s not convenient, so they don’t go very often. Places like Six Flags and Whitewater are so expensive that they’re treats for my kids just like they were for me -once a year ventures.
mom2alex&max
July 11th, 2012
9:06 am
My dad is a gadget freak, so back in the 80s we had a Commodore 64 and a VCR way before most people did. My kids have more toys and clothes than I did. I think it is because we lived in S. America where toys were expensive and so were clothes. We also didn’t need that many clothes as we went to private school, didn’t get home till 5PM, so we lived in our uniforms.
My kids do more stuff than I did. Like school trips, enrichment activities, more sports, etc. Again, part of the culture I think. I would give them even more if I could. I want to give them every conceivable edge they could possible have to get into a good college and start life. These days good grades just aren’t enough. I want them to experience things and learn things and be enriched. I can’t afford all I would want them to have, not in material posessions, but in experiences.
Tired
July 11th, 2012
9:16 am
Soda. It was something you had at a birthday party, not something people kept in their house all the time.
For teens, a car. Most of my friends and I (I’m in my 40s) didn’t have a car until college, and it was usually a beater with half of it paid for by Mom & Dad. Now everyone worries about making sure their kid has a car at 16 years old.
The Wizard of Oz was shown on TV once a year. It was fun to make it a family event with snacks and staying up past bedtime.
non committal mind reader
July 11th, 2012
9:21 am
Dessert every night. My kids will generally have something…. a couple of cookies, a scoop of ice cream… every night.
What they DON’T get is sugary drinks (no juice, sweet tea, kool aid or sodas), and those were in abundance when I was a child
DB
July 11th, 2012
9:35 am
Travel. In their early twenties, my kids have passports that would be the envy of many. Travel with my parents was generally to the grandparent’s house, but I can vividly remember three trips as I was growing up: 1 to Miami, 1 to New England, and another to California. Road trips, all. Plus one magical trip to NYC one weekend with my grandmother, when I was 12, my first time on an airplane. When I was 18, we visited Tiajuana, and that, for me, was a “foreign” country, until I was in my late 20’s and my husband and I did a two-week trip to Europe. But my daughter has been all over the United States, to the Ukraine, Romania, the Caribbean, Bermuda, most of Western Europe, Great Britain and Canada. Both kids have their own frequent flyer accounts, and have been able to make use of miles. The idea of being a “frequent flyer” when I was a teenager would have been ludicrous!
Father Christmas
July 11th, 2012
9:41 am
I grew up in the ’60’s and, while my parents never withheld nutritious food, they would take certain foods and make them “special”. Like, if you ate all your dinner, you got a great big piece of melon, or a bowl of strawberries, etc. My first cousins were “rewarded” with potato chips, candy, and ice cream instead and you can see the difference today – 50 years later they still have bowls of salty fatty crap at their house every time I go over there. I still think that fresh seasonal fruit is the best tasting thing out there. I can’t wait for each season so I can really enjoy peaches in the summer, pears in the fall, grapefruits in the winter, strawberries in the spring, etc.
Mr. Todd
July 11th, 2012
9:48 am
Reece’s Butter Cups. The source of life.
http://www.adixiediary.com
kay
July 11th, 2012
10:05 am
Definitely clothes… I was the youngest of eight and the two in front of me were boys. I spent my early girlhood dressed like Huckleberry Finn.
motherjanegoose
July 11th, 2012
10:18 am
Here is my 3rd try today…two posts have gone somewhere else! I have been on the computer all morning and Momania did not come up here, for quite some time!
FCM…the jury is out on that one. He is in his clinicals and lives on his own but things could change :0. He tells me that his employer WILL find him a job, as they have extended scholarship $$ and he has to do his time…haha! Since he has 9 years with the company, we are somewhat confident!
Fred…not sure but with the 3 hour time change TWG might be posting in AZ at 9:50 and it shows up as 12:50 here? Or, she might prepare things all day and then set it to post at a certain time. Is this like the news not always being filmed live? I have no experience here.
DB…yes on the travel here. My kids have enjoyed several trips each year and pretty much expected a summer vacation. A beach trip was at least annual and something I rarely did as a child. Growing up, we went camping or to visit relatives.
CHOICES is the biggest difference. We gave our children choices. We did not have many growing up. I remember getting a new coat, when I was a girl, and crying because my Mom thought one was practical but I wanted the other one. It was a dress coat…do those need to be practical for a 10 year old? My Dad also used to bring home donuts and never asked us what kind we liked. He got a dozen of the flavor HE liked. We still talk about this today!
I do think kids, in certain areas, are spoiled. Around here there are kids who have their parent’s credit card when they go to college and no one has mentioned the spending guidelines. The bill is explosive and the parents explode when they see the bill…I have heard this more than once. Our two have access to a CC and $$ for emergencies. Neither has abused the privilege. I also know a wonderful 20 year old who is friends with my daughter. She is home from college for the summer and apparently is not working. I do not really understand why. She is a sweet girl with a great family. Maybe she could not find a job? All the college kids I know have some kind of a jog in the summer. I never had the treat of not working in college, especially during the summer…I pulled extra hours!
My daughter told me about a book she saw with the Father in an interview. She thought I might like to read it…I think I will: http://www.amazon.com/Young-Bucks-Raise-Future-Millionaire/dp/0785221859/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
I will probably learn many things I do not know!
catlady
July 11th, 2012
10:30 am
I’m not sure it isn’t a tossup. I came of age in the 50s-60s and my parents lived carefully. They were financially okay (my dad worked for US Army Missile Command, my mom a teacher) but I was not allowed to buy “name brand” clothes. In fact, I was a senior in high school before I picked out an outfit for myself. Most of my clothes were homemade. My kids had decent store-bought clothes (ie Gap) I drank sweet tea; my kids had juice or milk. My mother cooked all our meals; same for my kids. I was fed mostly vegetables from cans; my kids ate from the garden–sometimes IN the garden. I had a TV in my room; my kids did not. No video games or movies when I was growing up. I do think my kids had a wider variety of fresh foods-in the 50s you were unlikely to get a Mexican watermelon in January. My children certainly had better preventative dental care. I had the use of a car; my kids had very old ones of their own, sometimes held together with hairpins (really!) I wasn’t allowed to participate in extra-curriculars; all of my children did. And my kids had the advantage (?) of doing much of their growing up on 2 university campuses.
Now it might be more interesting to compare my age group with my dad’s (born 1919) or mom’s (1922). For my dad, at Christmas, Santa would leave an orange and some nuts in his stocking and that was a BIG DEAL. My mom watched her older sister die of lockjaw (tetanus) from a compound fractured arm.
I really think, all in all, things balanced out between my growing up and my kids’ growing up. Some parts were better, some parts maybe not so good, some out of choice, and some not.
Becky
July 11th, 2012
10:52 am
Going out to eat dinner..We very seldom went out to eat as a family when I was growing up..Maybe once a month, my Mom would take me and my younger brother to McDonalds..That was a big treat for us..We always had Cokes in out house..I think my Mom was addicted to them..lol..
My two just turned 10 and they have DSI XL’s, they have DVD players in the car, they have season passes to White Water/Six Flags…So they do have more things like this than I ever had..We take them places all the time..We spent this past weekend in Mobile, AL, just so they could see the USS Alabama…We give them choices on things to eat, places that we visit, their clothes..So if that’s considered spoiling them, then they are spoiled..
They go back to school on Aug. 13 and we are planning an airplane trip for them before they go back..They have never flown and we think that this is a good age for them to fly..They both want to go to Clearwater, Fl. to see Winter (Dolphin Tale), so that might be where we fly to..We go places with them all the time..We take them to the lake, mountains, beach, museums, plays (Fox Theatre)..We are very active with them all year and especially during the summer break..
Techmom
July 11th, 2012
11:15 am
TWG can schedule when her blogs appear so she can have them prepared ahead of time.
I think the biggest “treat” for my son is experiences. Mostly travel. REAL travel… not just visiting family. Not spending 5 days in a car to drive cross-country to go sit at my grandparents’ house doing nothing but traveling to Sweden, the Caribbean, Mexico, Nicaragua, Washington D.C. etc.
Then add in experiences of organized youth sports, Scouts. My parents never had the money to allow us to participate in anything. Our son has played a myriad of sports, worked his way through Boy Scouts, gone to lots of camps and been on several mission trips.
RJ
July 11th, 2012
11:39 am
Fast food was a definite treat growing up. I admit that my kids get it a lttle too much. And we eat Chick-fil-a, Subway, and Zaxby’s. Definitely not dollar menu restaurants, so it can get expensive. Also, sodas were a treat. We drank kool-aid until my mom discovered Crystal Light, then that was it. We didn’t get many choices. Going out to Red Lobster was a special occassion. Our most recent family outing was to Chops. So yeah, they have it better.
Just got my daughter her first car. We paid $2600 cash. She hates the color. I bought my own first car. It looked good but was a piece of junk. I rode Marta a lot when I was a teenager, but I wouldn’t let my kids do it today. The world has changed.
My kids have cell phones, ipods, a PS3, PSP and a TV in their room. All were paid for in cash, so I can afford it. They have chores around the house. They have expecatations at school regarding their grades. My brother had an Atari and later a Nintendo when we were growing up. We also had TVs in our room. My parents gave us what they could afford and we do the same. I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s.
catlady
July 11th, 2012
11:43 am
DB: You are right. Travel. My kids have done MUCH more than I did and will ever do! My biggies were going to Mexico in 1968, right before the Olympics, to do mission work, and doing a 3 week cross-country with my parents when I was 11. Route 66 all the way out to LA, I think, including Grand Canyon and Painted Desert, then up to Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Yellowstone the Badlands of South Dakota, through Illinois back to Alabama. Great trips, both.
During the same age period, my kids have gone to Alaska, Mexico, England and Scotland, Ireland, the Bahamas as well as interesting trips within the US by plane. Great experiences in independence!
camille
July 11th, 2012
12:19 pm
My treats:
Drinking a Coke – only on Saturdays for us
Eating out – We hardly EVER ate out including McDonalds. Birthdays were dinner at Red Lobster
Travel – we spent EVERY summer with the grandparents in another state.. that was it.
Atari 5200 – 2 games, pac man and donkey kong
Birthday parties – I only remember one at the age of 10
Pizza – what is that? That goes back to eating out
Christmas – 1 or 2 that we asked for. Clothes made up the bulk of our presents
Food – we ate what was served
Sports – what was that? When I grew up I was only exposed to football, basketball and track & field
My kids commonplace:
Drink Sprite/juice/ etc at any time. I limit sodas but I could only have them on Saturdays
Eating out – My 4yr 15yrs ago was at the Cheesecake Factory crying b/c she couldn’t have a $17dish. My now 6yo runs off his favorite restaurants to eat at everyday vs. eating at home.
Travel – The kids have been to Hawaii, Domincan Republic, FL, etc. I left the country for my honeymoon at the age of 25.
Games – we have a Wii, playstation, etc. They don’t know how good they have it
Birthday parties – the 19 y.o. had something every year. I changed it with the other two. Only on the even years to we have a party
Christmas – they get more of what they want vs. clothes.
Food – I let them have some input. I am not a short order cook, but they provide input
Sports – the kids have played everything
motherjanegoose
July 11th, 2012
12:27 pm
RJ…in 1979, I drove a 1966 Ford station wagon to college….baby blue. My kids saved $1000 for their own cars and I matched $1000. Son had a 1999 Saturn in 2004
( just sold it with 128,000 miles ) and daughter bought a 2003 Civic in 2009 until now ( 125,000,miles) for them, nicer cars but they have made the payments ( about $100 per month we pay the insurance) and I did not have payments on that old station wagon.
I see families eating out regularly with tabs upwards to $100 and just acting like it is the norm. We never did that with our kids and rarely do it now…think coupons. My husband and I are thinking about going to Ireland and my daughter told me last night, ” Mom please just eat whatever you want…do not think about coupons when you are there!” I laughed! Any tips from those who have been to Ireland would be welcome…thanks!
BeeJay
July 11th, 2012
12:29 pm
More than 3 TV channels, TV around the clock, fast food restaurants and eating out, extremely expensive “gifts” for birthdays and Christmas (cars, electronics), brand-name clothes, indoor air-conditioning, car air-conditioning, every electronic in existence – I lived in the era of early TV, record players and early Hi-Fis, and transistor radios came into existence in my elementary years. Grew up in the 50s and 60s.
motherjanegoose
July 11th, 2012
12:30 pm
@camille….yes parties too! I think I had one or two growing up, with kids my age. My daughter had them every year: Birthday, Halloween and Christmas with friends over night. Son, not as much but he was not really into it.
BeeJay
July 11th, 2012
12:31 pm
Oh, and seeing every movie that comes out. We went rarely and if you didn’t see it then, you didn’t see it – no showing on TV, no VHS or DVD or online streaming.
motherjanegoose
July 11th, 2012
12:32 pm
@BeeJay…I saw this picture on Facebook…an old TV and a roll of Reynolds Wrap foil:
Like if you know what these two have in common…I laughed.
We had ONE little TV and NO remote.
It was way up high and only Dad could change the channels. Similar to my donut idea above…we watched what he wanted to watch or nothing at all: Rockford Files…haha!
Tired
July 11th, 2012
12:33 pm
Private property, so to speak. We had one phone in the house and everyone used it; if Mom was waiting for an important call from work, then no one could use the phone. We shared the back seat of the sedan. We had one TV in the house and it had one video game console. When we were younger we shared a room. Now everyone has their own phone, their own computer, their own room, their own seat in the minivan, etc.
MamaP
July 11th, 2012
12:54 pm
Internet. I was born in the early 80’s but we were sort of poor and didn’t get internet till I was 15 or 16 I guess, and I was behind my friends in it.
Cell/smart phones. My almost 3 year old knows how to use ours already-he sees the pictures that represent the person in the address book and will hit send and then chat away to Grandma.
On demand TV. Whenever kiddo needs a Wiggles or Thomas fix, there is it on demand (hooray when I’m trying to get dinner made and dishes done!).
As much as we love our technology though, I refuse to put a TV or computer in the bedroom, not ours and not my son’s. Kiddo is never unsupervised in what he is looking at or watching.
MamaP
July 11th, 2012
12:57 pm
Also, on the on demand thing-I love the music channels! Usually when the TV is on, I have the light classical channel on or toddler tunes. It is really cool because it is commercial free music.
Cindy
July 11th, 2012
1:18 pm
Seriously? This is actually a topic of interest? Some of you need to get a life.
Sarah
July 11th, 2012
1:24 pm
For us, it’s sports and activities. When I was a kid, there weren’t many activities for little kids… or at least we didn’t participate in them at young ages. We really spent most of our time riding bikes and climbing trees…. not in dance studios or in gyms doing gymnastics, or on soccer fields.
The difference for our family is that we take less vacations than I did while growing up. When I was growing up, we went to the beach (Ocean City MD) every year, we went to Cedar Point Amusement park every year, We went camping in a tent for a week every year. And we also sprinkled in other trips to sea world/story book forest/more amusement parks each summer too.
But NOW, because of our committments… both time and financial… to our activities (swim team, gymnastics, soccer, karate, scouts, paino lessons etc) we can’t take vacations like I did as a kid. In fact, we only vacation (the beach) once every two years…. and that’s it!! We don’t even always make it to the county fair to be honest.
Atlanta Academic
July 11th, 2012
1:25 pm
Television
My earliest recollections of television are from the 1950’s shows “Howdy Doody” and “Captain Kangaroo.” We always had only one television in the house. That TV was commandeered by my father to watch the ubiquitous westerns of the day. Between school, an active outdoors life, sharing with the family and dictatorial programming I rarely had options for the treats and thrills of enjoying my own television shows.
One of my friends in the eighth grade had a television in her room. Now that was a treat for an overnight watching “The Mummy’s Hand.” Sometime around midnight all three stations stopped broadcasting and the sad and lonely black and white circle with lines filled the screen accompanied by the more than annoying beeeeeeeeeep noise.
The first time television really grabbed me was the broadcast of Alistair Cooke’s series on America during the 70’s. That was when I was awakened to the possibilities that television could offer in valuable programming. This led me to research the development of television. I discovered Philo Farnsworth, the man who invented television in 1921, at the age of fifteen. His is an amazing story well worth your time. Suffice it to say, his attitude toward television content during the early years led him to ban the box from his house. I agreed, except for one little treat: “Boris Karloff’s Thriller” TV series; especially “The Pigeons from Hell” episode which sent Stephen King on his own quest to thrill all of us.
It was not until my university years that I had my own television, however with no time to watch. Now I am surrounded by monitors. I am on Amazon Prime. The content of my choice runs endlessly, mostly in the background while I work. I get my thrills watching the news in the morning over the internet. I anticipate each new offering from PBS and HULU over the internet. I never watch the TV anymore; Puff the Magic Dragon I guess.
DB
July 11th, 2012
1:30 pm
@Cindy: At the risk of sounding rude: If you can’t play nice with the other forumites, go away.
WHAT?????
July 11th, 2012
1:35 pm
“My kids have cell phones, ipods, a PS3, PSP and a TV in their room.”
@RJ – I think that’s a major disservice to your children, not to mention to you. Do you ever interact with the kids, or are they on their own? What are mealtimes like in your home/car/fast food restaurant?. Are their heads always bowed looking at their phones/ipod, etc? I bet not a single word is spoken at mealtimes in your home. How sad.
motherjanegoose
July 11th, 2012
1:45 pm
@ Sarah…we did go to the fair as kids but I am not sure my kids have gone…haha! They have been to Hawaii three times.
@ Cindy…oh we have lives…this is just a way for us to chat about all sorts of things. You would be quite surprised at how intelligent many of these people are and also their wealth of knowledge. I am not speaking of myself but I have met some here and love to pick their brains when I can. I even call them or e-mail. I learn a lot!
MamaP we had black and white TV and party lines…internet…what?
oneofeach4me
July 11th, 2012
1:47 pm
Technology has grown so much and become so much more affordable and obtainable than when I was growing up. I didn’t have a cell phone until I was in my 20’s, and it was prepaid at that. I did not have the internet until my early 20’s either. We now have internet and my 6th grade daughter just got a cell phone for her bday.
Another thing my kids have that I didn’t… time. I was the oldest and spent my weekends and summers “babysitting” my younger siblings and therefore didn’t really get to experience much. Now, my kids go to a camp ran by a parks and rec department where they kayak, canoe, swim, hike, practice archery and go on one field trip a week. As an adult, I can say that is the one thing I would LOVE to have done. The technology part of it they can keep!
UGA Dad
July 11th, 2012
2:20 pm
A “Lewinsky” used to be a special treat for me, maybe two or three times a year (if I am lucky), but my sons apparently get them all the time now that they are living in Athens full-time.
homeschooler
July 11th, 2012
2:38 pm
When I first read this when I woke up this morning, my first though was..yeah, they have a lot more common place treats then I did but honestly, when I thought about it, I was a lot more spoiled than my kids are.
With my kids it comes down to what is easier now. They get to play video games any minute of the day, get to watch any show they want when they want to. No having to wait til’ saturday morning or Monday nights to find something good on TV. I think we probably eat out a bit more than I did as a kid but, compared to others, my family ate out a lot.
We were not wealthy but my dad tried hard to compensate for his own poor upbringing and my mom had a hard time saying “no”. The result was a lot of unnecessary toys, phones and TV’s in our rooms, an over abundance of Christmas presents. I won’t say we got whatever we wanted but we certainly didn’t want for much.
We also traveled a lot because both my parents worked for the airlines.
I know that there are things that were special treats to me that my kids get all the time but I just can’t think of them right now. I would say just that they don’t seem to be inconvenienced at all. Like the TV thing or like going on an 8 hr drive and not having to be bored because of DVD players and iPods in the car.
Kar
July 11th, 2012
3:08 pm
The big one is:
Summer Vacations
the mental cleansing/psychological/social do-over of a “new school year”
shopping for school supplies/clothes
tater tots for lunch
afterschool snacks/tv programming/just about anything.
knowing someone else put dinner on the table and paid for housing.
shaggy
July 11th, 2012
3:27 pm
Cindy,
Just where do you get one of those life thingies? I have been looking for one my entire….life.
Jeez…what a lame commentary “get a life” is. It always speaks to the intelligence of the user…that is really the best they have.
Kris
July 11th, 2012
3:30 pm
@RJ – speaking of cars . . .
When my daughter got a (9 yr old) car at the age of 16, she was pretty satisfied with it, but when I gave her the keys, she asked where the “clicker” was (to lock and unlock doors). We had an aftermarket kit installed the following Christmas!
Stacey
July 11th, 2012
3:30 pm
Looking back, I realize my siblings and I were what people today would consider spoiled with material things. I grew up in the 70’s and my siblings all had bikes (I didn’t want one), although we had a TV in our bedroom even though we slept two to a room. Santa brought us anything we could imagine for Christmas though the only other time we got new toys was for our birthdays. We were among the first families in our town to get cable (circa 1980). We only had two telephones in our house (one in the kitchen and one in the hallway). We only had an air conditioner in the living room that was only turned on when we had “important” company like the preacher or insurance man. The kids were only allowed in there on Christmas morning unless it was to dust or sweep the floor. We never went to restaurants and only had takeout (KFC or Pizza Hut) a few times a year. We only had juice for breakfast and a small cup of kool aid for dinner. Soda was only for Sunday dinner. We frequently had dessert since my mother and older sisters liked to bake.
My son also has a lot of material things although if you ask him he probably think he is destitute and oppressed. As others have said, he eats out way more than I like to admit at nice restaurants and fast food. He has more gadgets but that may just be because things weren’t available when I was his age. The only time he has lived without air conditioning was a week in late spring when ours was broken. Luckily the highs were in the low 80’s that week. He’s had a lot more experiences than I did as a kid but some of that may also be because he is growing up in metro Atlanta where everything is accessible and I grew up in small town Mississippi. He’s been to as many movies this year as I did my entire childhood.
shaggy
July 11th, 2012
3:30 pm
UGA Dad,
I had a good “tenure” at UGA, with Monicas being abundant. Your sons are apparently doing things right and “receiving” a great education experience.
Warrior Woman
July 11th, 2012
3:33 pm
Restaurant meals, steaks, new clothes more frequently, travel, DVD/VCR, television, cable – all the trappings of greater affluence than my parents – are more available to my kids than they were to me, since I grew up in a low income household with more children to support. Similarly, I grew up in a pretty rural, small town environment, so my children have easier and more frequent access to the zoo, the ballet, museums, concerts, etc., along with more frequent access to a variety of dining options (regional and ethnic cuisines like Indian, Thai, sushi, etc., in particular).
pj
July 11th, 2012
3:43 pm
Ditto Jeff and Tired, although three of my kids have chosen not to drink soft drinks since their teens – one for acting reason, one for sports, the other just because. I very rarely drink them either. I have a picture of me pretending to drink a bottle of something (as they came in then) on one of our rare vacations nearby; it was an empty bottle I found. Of course, anything to do with computers and modern technology re movies, music, etc. It’s hard to explain to them how you saw three movies at a theater and three at a drive in as a child, and that was IT. But I believe the scarcity of these things makes them more special. What is special when you can have as much of it anytime you want? I remember having to talk to boys on the only phone, a wall unit in the kitchen/dining area that was within hearing range of the living room. Didn’t talk much : ) My kids also routinely get 50.00 or 100.00 as birthday or Christmas gifts. They are grateful, but have no idea how much that kind of money would have been to me as a child (if I had ever gotten it.) Also, I am not any more financially better off than my parents were, maybe less, but I have always had a car; we didn’t have a car until I was 13. We rode the city bus (as children).
Atlanta Academic
July 11th, 2012
3:56 pm
Food
Once upon a time there was not spaghetti. Almost all food, especially vegetables came in cans. Roast beef and other large cuts of beef were the norm and economical. Chef Boyardee was delightful and we were at a loss to reproduce it in our own homes.
I remember the first McDonald’s. The two large yellow arches caught the attention of a small child, me; I have never been able to erase that memory. The food service was walk-up window only to what appeared to be some kind of red brick as opposed to yellow brick. We never went there in the Dodge with the pointy fins front and rear. We went to Shoney’s Big Boy, sometimes. My parents never used the drive-in-service; we ate in the dining room. We also ate at Howard Johnson’s. However, most memorable to me; we ate at a small home style restaurant that was family owned.
We went on pilgrimages to Brache’s Meat Market. My father would order the cuts of meat wrapped in white butcher paper and marked with a grease pen. That would sustain us for quite some time. There was a spattering of produce. Heinz and Campbell’s were of course the staples of the times. People found work in seasonal canneries. Fresh food was not actually a reality.
My friend’s mother, the school dietician somewhere in Ohio, made pasta fresh. I had never seen that before, nor had I tasted it. My father took us to an Italian restaurant in Indianapolis. It was the first time. It was the first time I experienced spaghetti; it was the first time I ever saw two people kiss. It was the first time I found a bay leaf in the sauce. Some years later I moved to Sacramento. I was a foreigner in a strange land. I could not recognize any of the pasta brands. I was a Midwesterner with no local brand knowledge. I must tell you it was jolting.
I was seven years old. We lived in Indianapolis. That was the first time spaghetti was made at home. The sauce of course was home made. No jars then. It was the beginning of spaghetti, easy now, but not so much then.
Around that time we first encountered a supermarket. It was Kroger.
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
July 11th, 2012
4:11 pm
I think there has been such a change just in the last four years for us of what is a treat — now going to the movies is a huge deal. we rarely if ever go out to eat so that is a huge deal. I am with Gtmom that travel is a something we save for and are willing to spend money on — although trying to see things as cheaply as possible like with the camping. We’re using hotel points for a hotel in San Francisco and not staying in the city, staying outside for a cheaper rate. Steak is only bought when it’s on a serious sale. I think the answers to this would have been very different four years ago.