1950's, a great time to grow up?

CLAX1911 said:

My parents grew up in the fifties. I grew up in the 80s the music forum the fifties was magnificent. I also like the cars. But I can't possibly know if it was better. I wasn't alive my mother was abused by her relatives and her parents didn't seem to care but that goes in today so I can't blame the fifties for that.

I remember hearing a lot about Russia growing up, and Fidel Castro and the iron curtain but I wasn't really aware of what was going on. A cold war is a little more difficult to explain to a child than just blood and guts war. I wore loud colors and shirts that didn't come down to my navel in the summer, that was the style. We had the best children's movies. I was born in the video game generation but never had interest in it. I grew up in a very modest suburb. And all the neighborhood kids would get together and play at this or that kids house, mostly back yard. I remember thinking it was strange when the black boys down the block were gladly included into our hyjinx their mom and dad were quite shocked when the neighborhood children didn't see them as different, subsequently I learned about segregation and that was the only point it ever touched my life. Some of those same neighborhood children I am still friends with and even the godfather of one of their children. It never seemed a big deal if during our summer time fun a kid got hurt, there was normally a mother or an older sibling that knew just what to do. When the streets flooded that was the block pool party.

So my childhood happened in a great time. I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up in the fifties but I doubt it would be that different.

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Perotista said:

Russia and the cold war took front row seats in the 50's. I can still remember the duck and cover drills when I was in school. I served in Vietnam and spent 3 1/2 years guarding the East German Border from 80-83, the Fulda Gap they called it. Segregation was real in the 50's, but that was basically a city problem, I grew up on a farm. Our neighbor two farms down were black and my dad and the Otis were friends always helping each other out. I played with Otis grandkids when they came and never gave it a thought that they went to a different school than I. It was just the way things were.

But I think you are right, childhood is usually a golden age for most of us. Regardless of when one grew up.

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Perotista said:

Russia and the cold war took front row seats in the 50's. I can still remember the duck and cover drills when I was in school. I served in Vietnam and spent 3 1/2 years guarding the East German Border from 80-83, the Fulda Gap they called it. Segregation was real in the 50's, but that was basically a city problem, I grew up on a farm. Our neighbor two farms down were black and my dad and the Otis were friends always helping each other out. I played with Otis grandkids when they came and never gave it a thought that they went to a different school than I. It was just the way things were.

But I think you are right, childhood is usually a golden age for most of us. Regardless of when one grew up.

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CLAX1911 said:

something that wouldn't be possible today that I enjoyed and you likely had a similar circumstance. When I was a little boy I would watch the garbage men pick up our neighborhood trash. The driver was ed, and they knew me too. They would always laugh when I told them I wanted to be a garbage msm when I grew up. But I was serious. I wanted to ride on the back of the trash truck. The two guys that picked up the cans from the curb were often Broderick and James. One day when I was about 8 years old they said I could ride the garbage truck. Broderick let me stand on the platform but he stood right behind me to make sure I didn't fall off. I even helped them pick up some stuff.

Nit only are those garbage trucks not around any more but all three of those guys would have gotten fired or even brought up on charges today. But it was so much fun.

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Perotista said:

They probably would have been fired today, on the spot. We had no garbage pick up out in the country. We dug a pit out behind the barn and burned everything. That too today probably would be banned.

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