Also born in 59. I did love the freedom and music of the times, not having to worry about going to school and getting shot. This paints a picture of an idyllic past but I just need to say that we were really poor so I never got to experience a lot of what others did. My parents never owned a house, it was a dysfunctional family, with no available therapy. Dad was drinking and driving and getting into accidents, and had emphysema from smoking. Mom got cancer and died because of late diagnosis and no effective treatment at that time. I was sent to a less than ideal foster home at age 10. I never got married and had kids, never wanted to. What was in my recollection road isn't all so fondly remembered. I'm not asking for sympathy, it was a long time ago and it's the past, gone and mostly forgotten. And that's where it will stay.
1962 here, tail end Baby Boomer. Had a great childhood, not a want for anything. Mom stayed home and took care of us three kids, cooked and cleaned. Dad worked, but he also helped around the house. Kids did too. It was a great childhood, no computers, only 5 channels of TV, low to no crime, remember playing soldier all day (yes with toy guns) or riding bike all day and coming home at lunch then back out side. Baseball, Football, Basketball, fishing, camping, model rocketry (with no need for adults), model airplane on a string. No worries at all, life was good, not to mention the best rock music of the 70's...Beatles, Stones..those were the days I want to go back...
@@Lifestinks Boomers were not anywhere near as entitled as genzers my friend...and I was not spoiled and worked hard my entire life, something that my parents taught me.
@sam6235 It's definitely harder today to get out on ones own. The cost of living has skyrocketed and it's an opportunity for families to to draw closer and help each other out. Sadly, some people would rather be on the street then be under the same roof with relatives.
I'm a retired child therapist. Family dinner, age appropriate chores, outdoor unsupervised free play, sharp limits on screens, regular mealtimes and bedtimes, with plenty of sleep... those things alone would decrease child and adolescent mental health issues by a lot.
It won't help the kids who are abused tho. And I agree kids need to go outside more but when you have crazy people kidnapping kids from their driveways it's perfectly understandable why parents don't want their kids go outside by themselves anymore. We need to bring back those sense of communities again. I remember my grandfather telling me how the apartment complex he lived in knew everyone so you couldn't get away with nothing lol. We need to bring this back
I grew up in the 1970s. Free time, some freedoms. A lot of time spent at my maternal grandparents(across the ballfield) in their in-ground pool, bike was my independence(vehicle for/of), going to Monson Free Library(Monson, MA), Firth's(store, restaurant), Armata's Supermarket. I learned how to shovel snow(long sidewalk) and use the phone book, rotary/push button phones. Physical card catalogs in libraries. I had my Library Card at three(Mom taught me to read, early) at three years old. I live next door in Palmer and their Library is fabulous, too! Fantastic staff, electronic card catalog, inter-library loans, getting "hold" reserving books, media) is fabulous!
I am a baby boomer 1957. I miss the family around the dinner table. Riding my bike for miles a day. Playing with friends until the street lights came on. I couldn’t wait to get my drivers license! The classroom portion and behind the wheel were part of our school curriculum. I never got money from my parents for all the cleaning and babysitting my sisters. I cleaned houses and babysat until I turned 16. Went to work at McDonald’s. That money bought me clothes and accessories, gas, money to go see a movie or other entertainment. I did marry my high school sweetheart. We got engaged six months out of high school. Married at age 20. We built our first house the first year of marriage. I paid for most of the wedding and he saved for the house. A year after moving into our house our daughter was born. Hubby and I didn’t go to college. We both had good jobs with excellent healthcare benefits. We took classes later. I feel bad using cash at stores or other places. I have a debit card but my motto was if I don’t have cash for something then I don’t get it. When I worked at McDonald’s we had to count back change to the customer. Now, they just plop the change in your hand. We have some places here that are cashless already. I am old school. Prefer to use cash first.
I'm presently 42 (*so much younger than many people on this thread probably?), but I don't get that about preferring cash??; because debit is the same as cash (*assuming your debit account doesn't have a reserve credit line attached to it, right?)
@@1Corinthians6Verses9thru11 I find that if I use a credit card or a debit card (which I do use), I tend not to watch my spending. I guess it's a matter of discipline.
I was born in 78 but i miss my childood and how it was back then. It saddens me more than anything. Im in shock everyday when i turn on the news or just go out in public for that matter.
I’m a baby boomer, born 1953. Live was simpler then. We could not watch TV while eating and we all ate together at dinner table as a family every day. We played outside for hours and did not like staying in the house.
Baby Boomer, 1960s kid. We watched tv on Saturday mornings, with the tv stand/and at times, tv dinners. I would go for bike rides around town(Monson, MA) and learn phone numbers, zip codes. I still use those skills today!
Your story is what I remember myself. Unless I was too sick in bed to come to the table, I always ate with my folks. It was unheard of at our house to eat in the den and watch tv although later we did have a tv in the kitchen. I remember watching "Truth or Consequences" (an old game show with Bob Barker as the host) after the news while we were eating.
This video was spot on! My husband and I are retired, but we still sit down to the dinner table every night. We married right out of high school and have been together for 58 years. As kids we roamed the streets all summer; however there were so many of us in those days that we always played in groups. I remember at one point growing up there were 85 kids on our block! Today with fewer kids it’s not as safe and moms aren’t always home like they were back in the day. I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license when I turned 16, but my 16 year old granddaughter doesn’t even have a learner’s permit. We bought our first home at age 25 after my husband spent 4 years in the service. It wasn’t great, but it was what we could afford, and we bought it with a G. I. loan and no down payment. We later sold it for a nicer home in a better neighborhood, then sold that one and bought our current home that is mortgage free. We both worked for the same company for years and were able to retire early. I am so glad I grew up when I did, and am proud of my “Baby Boomer” ideals and values. They have served me well.
My wife and I were both twenty when we married and are at 56+ years. She worked sporadically until our youngest was 17 before getting full time work as a teacher from which she took an early retirement a number of years ago. After my stint in the army I had several different jobs in various industries before becoming self employed around 42 years ago and recently retired. We too bought our first house with a VA mortgage at 9% our 3rd home had a 12 1/2% mortgage. Our current home is mortgage free. I think our lives parallel many “boomers” lives.
My wife and I still work at separate companies for 30+ years. We live on a cul de sac with 20 houses. There are 9 children and 15 dogs. I am the last of 9 children 1963. When my wife and I were married 30 years ago there was only 7 weddings our large church . My children are the only ones that mow the lawn and shovel snow on our street.
Growing up as a boomer, it’s no surprise that I did family dinners, we all ate together a home-cooked meal. Once I was a mother with children of my own, I continued that tradition we all ate at the table and I made a homemade dinner rarely did we go out.
Agreeing 100% with @carol, as kids many things were "too expensive," and we just DIDN'T do them. We ate out maybe once a month. Of course in the early '60s "eating out" was pretty much one of "a bucket of chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken" or "Chinese Take out." There really wasn't a lot of fast food back then.
1961. We rode a few miles to get to Whittier narrows. Spent all day riding around the lakes then back home just B4 dusk. Never had trouble never thought my own children would never know such freedom. They do gather their own families around the table every evening for dinner.
It was so much fun going outside to play whenever we wanted. The adults in the neighborhood always kept an eye on things and would intervene if necessary. But usually we would handle things on our own. That's how we learned.
Born in 59, it has amazed me how my sons and their generation rarely used a bicycle or walked to school. I think I walked to the bus stop when I was 5 or 6. We had much greater independence.
I was born in 1961, and I miss those days of long ago. GREAT music, movies and people were nice, and kids were taught to be polite and respectful to each other and their elders. Best times for kids to have grown up in.
I was also born in 1961. It was a great time to be a kid (at least for me)! I had wonderful memories enjoying my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and family. A number of them have passed away 😢. But I’m grateful for all the wonderful memories that God has blessed me with, and continues to bless me each and everyday!😇🙌👏. I’m also grateful for my siblings 🥰!!!
Malls! Radio Shack, Orange Julius, The Flaming Pit(the now, demolished Eastfield Mall in Springfield, MA), hearing popular songs on the amped-up radios, "Love's Theme" from Barry White, Captain & Tenille, The Hustle, Steiger's, Friendly's, what a fun place! Shop, eat, socialize, all under one roof, climate-controlled, fabulous!
Also born in 1961, also had a great childhood. But my grandfather (born in 1911) often regaled us with tales of his childhood and bemoaned the fact that we would never have as good a childhood as he did. I’m glad for what I had (mostly) but think my kids had a pretty good childhood as well - they certainly think so - and I expect my grandkids will, too.
An old boomer here. I remember all those things mentioned in this video. Playing outside was imperative and we loved it. We played all sports throughout the year. Yes, there was bullying and we had to deal with it and we did. Today I live in a nice middle-class neighborhood in the US. In my current location for 26 years, I have never seen a young kid or teenager even mow the yard. We did that with those manual push mowers with rotating blades as soon as we were old enough to use those manual mowers. Ranking leaves or pine straw, clearing off snow from driveways, washing cars, plus doing our share of the house chores were required as part of our contribution to the family. I am so glad I was part of the era. The greatest music ever to be heard was in the '60s and '70s It was great and much better to grow up then than the kids do today.
@@maxon-m3c I was the last group of 17 year-olds to have a Draft Lottery prior to going all volunteer. I was 079. I enlisted about a week after the fall of Saigon. Proud to have served.
@@maxon-m3c I was the last group of 17 year-olds to have a Draft Lottery prior to going all volunteer. I was 079. I enlisted just after the fall of Saigon. Proud to have served.
I live on a lake and every morning go on my patio to drink my coffee and watch the ducks and herons and listen to the birds.Most people that I see come by the water just sit and stare at their phones.They don't understand how important connecting to nature is 🦆🦆
Same phenomenon as people sticking up their phones to record a concert or fireworks that they will never look at again when they are actually THERE in person. Enjoying the moment in real time seems to be lost anymore.
Absolutely! When my husband and I go for our walks, we take in all the nature, flowers, listen to the birds. We pass by people just staring at their phones and not even noticing any of the beauty around them.
A kid from the 50s here. Childhood was awesome in the 50s and 60s. The best decade of TV was the 60s. Having a bike was your freedom which later became your car and yes, chomping at the bit to get that learners permit was real. I actually wore the tread off of more than one set of bike tires. We ate what we were served in our house and there was no eating anywhere except at the dinner table. I was not given an allowance. My parents didn't feel they should be paying us for chores that we were responsible for keeping up as that is part of family responsibilities. Can't remember how many times I heard things like "I don't get paid to cook your food or do your laundry, do I?" I had to earn money by what is called gig work now. I went around the neighborhood offering to do things for people like mowing grass, cleaning out garages, washing cars and painting for example. There was competition so, you better be good if you want to become someone's regular. I got my first job as soon as I was eligible by age. Married in the early 70s we had to follow a budget. We didn't have credit cards. We carried a calculator with us to the grocery store to make sure we didn't get more than the cash we had in our pocket. We drove clunker cars I busted more than a few knuckles constantly repairing. Life was grand.
@MGAC1701 Same here, Born 1969 and a proud member of Gen-X. I miss the good ol’ days where things were so simple and fun. I don’t recognize the Canada I grew up in anymore, it has become a tyrannical regime ran by woke ideology.
I grew up doing and enjoying all of these things - family dinnertime, outdoor activity with friends, long term jobs with close coworkers. The common thread was VALUING in person interaction. Life is short! We lose family and friends all too soon and often unexpectedly. Quality time spent with them is far more important than anything on your phone.
There's truth to that. I was at a sandwich shop the other day, and two nice young teens, a boy and girl, were sitting at a small table. Rather than staring deeply into the eyes of one another, they were both on their phones, texting away. How sad.
@@josephgaviota Who knows what they were texting to each other. Probably talking about other people they were surrounded by. I've seen it happen before.
@@sj122s Of course I can't know what they were texting about. It's just that it seems staring into the eyes of a girl would be better than staring onto a small screen; all things being equal.
True story. A few years back, I went to the town I grew up in. I stopped off at a store. A woman in line in front of me pulled out her phone and placed a call. No biggie. I heard a phone ring a few feet away, and I heard someone say, "Hi mom." " Get in line." The mom called her daughter, who was only a few feet away. WTFlip? A few feet away, and you call on a phone?
I’m not a Boomer, but my Mom and Dad are. I was born in 1974, but everything in this video is how I was raised. I was so blessed that my Mom stayed home and raised my brother and I. I wouldn’t change my childhood for anything.
Not true. There was a high amount of mental health issues back then. Just the social stigma around it has changed. For ex, shell shocked was used for soldiers coming back from war. We now call it PTSD. And many people who had depression or schizophrenia were locked up in insane asylums aka mental health institutions to be never discussed again by family. Humans have had mental health issues for centuries just now we have somewhat better understanding of them to create medication and therapies.
My grandmother(maternal) told me to ignore the offers for free stuff in the ads for credit cards, in my college book bag. I took her advice. No debt there.
My life very much follows the Boomer model described in this video. I was born in 62. I was raised in a rural community where most mothers stayed at home. Five thirty was supper time. On Sunday we'd go to church and then go to my great-grandparent's house with a lot of other relatives. The cigarette smoke was thick and the coffee pot was always on. Just about all the men with blue-collar jobs I knew back then had one primary job and some sort of sideline. My father fixed lawn mowers, an uncle welded, another uncle cut wood, and another uncle fixed cars. The rich kids didn't work on the farms but most of the kids from modest families worked at least seasonally on farms. I started picking strawberries at a farm when I was nine, and I worked at an orchard when I was a teenager. For years I saved all the money I could and I got my license and my first car when I was 16. I got married and bought my first house at 25, we have one daughter. I have worked for the same company for 39 years. Most of the kids I knew growing up bought houses in their 20s, had kids in their 20s or 30s, and have had very successful lives. So, I think that Boomer life plan, work hard, save your money, get married, buy a house, have kids, worked out pretty well.
I'm a 1953 and my wife is a 1954 Baby Boomers and we raised our kids through the 80's and 90's just as we were raised with dinners at home together at the dinner table, conversations without the interruption of the cell phone, playtime outside, birthday parties at friend's homes, sleepovers at the neighbors. All three children are today in their 40's, well-mannered, highly successful and with great careers. Everything centered on family and my wife was a stay at home Mom. We have a lot to be thankful for. I fear the breakdown of the family is the most critical chasm today.
Thanks for outlining the toilet the world has become. I thank my Lord I got the chance to live the life of 'a boomer'. God help the generation of today!
@@Linda7647 Grew up somewhat earlier and you're right on. We're bombarded with an amount of choices and stimuli that would have been a madhouse nightmare 50-60 years ago. Politics, entertainment, every sphere you can imagine.........no privacy, no backbone, no propriety, no dignity, no self-sacrifice, no holds barred. Entitled wokies getting far more air time than they deserve.
When I was a child in the early 1970's children would be outside riding bikes, playing football etc. and visiting friends😃I don't ever see children playing outside anymore😫I'm glad I grew up when I did😁ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
Visiting nearby grandparents(maternal), biking around town, library, getting chewing gum at the nearest store. We would have to be in by dinner time. A lot of freedom! And responsibility. I learned(with Mom's help) to read at age three, and have had a library card since then. I still make use of it in Palmer, I grew up next door, in Monson. Both in Massachusetts.I am 60 now.
We drank out of the garden hose, and we survived. We played frisbee. And catch with tennis balls or whatever we found. We played board games like monopoly and life. We loved playing card games like War, Uno, Old Maid, some others. Legos were great, but before that there was Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toy. If you didn’t have those, we did origami, wooden blocks, and odds and ends from around the house. We used oatmeal drums, cereal boxes, etc. We sometimes glued those cardboard boxes, painted them or glued paper on them to pretty them up. These became Barbie houses or mini-cities.
Good video. I was born in 1951 and got to see a lot of great things in my life. The 1960s brought color TV, muscle cars, and rock music. Those were great times. We were very safe. Most of the Dads were vets and looked after all of us and could smack us if we deserved it. We behaved and that made later life much easier. Good Luck, Rick
I'm a 1958 vintage, and I remember putting my Schwinn Stingray away, coming in for dinner around the table, then watching Andy Griffith, Batman, etc, on one of the 3 channels we got! It's scary to think kids today might be claiming 50 years from now that the 2010's and 2020's were great years to grow up. I don't even want to think what life might be like then!
With heavy hearts we had to tell out eldest child (55) it was time for her to join AARP and move into a Del Webb community. When she hits 65 she will have to watch, Murder She Wrote, The Price Is Right and Matlock everyday.
Born in 57, breakfast, lunch, and dinner together at the table. Friends played after school football, catch,or gathered to watch TV, wild wild west, Batman and Robin. Back home at dark. Had a great childhood.
I’m the end of baby boomers, 1965. My generation was THE last to enjoy a fun free childhood. My baby brother was the beginning of the next generation. They destroyed family’ gatherings. ‘Family’ restaurants. Now all ‘fast food’ places. We need to bring back family oriented activities.
Me too -- born in 65 and my sister was born in 1969, The difference in the culture we were raised in, even though we had the same parents and everything, made us very different adults. There was no victim mentality for me; there was for her generation. Brand name culture was getting its claws into teenagers by the early 70s. Thank goodness I was already secure in the teaching that labels didn't matter. I could go on, but you all lived it and know what I'm saying. This generation is being raised in a moral vacuum and a societal morass of bitterness, hatred and victim-hood. I pray for and fear for the next generation, I truly do.
It’s not GEN X that destroyed anything, it’s the baby boomers kids the millennials who were brought up selfish, where women had no rights and where domestic violence was just accepted. Gays were hated as was anyone who wasn’t white, male, Christian , married and straight. Baby boomers destroyed the environment , Gen X got left with the mess
They? Who is they? Gen X still enjoys family dinner, and cooks actual meals. I know a lot of Boomers who fed their kids out of boxes and cans while making them fend for themselves after school- latch key kids. Boomers birthed them, but now “they” know how to cook and fend for themselves.
As a Gen Xer, most of these things were still normal in my family. I'd love to see station wagons and simple work trucks (with "wing windows") make a comeback!
I bought my nephew a bicycle for Christmas a couple years back. He refuses to learn to ride. He is now 10. I learned when I was 6 and was ridiculed for taking so long by my friends. Rather sad the direction we've gone.
Glad my girls love riding their bikes. And they don’t get screen time unless it’s super classic cartoons like Scooby doo Care Bears and my little pony oh and the old Superbook and flying house from the 80s. But that’s when I’m cleaning so I can’t take them outside. But lately they rather do puzzles and art and crafts
Roads nowadays are more hostile to bikers than in the past. They are wider and built mainly for car traffic often without any protected bike lanes, so bikers feel unsafe having to share them with cars travelling several times their speed and weighing orders of magnitude more.
I’m a Gen X, I still spend time with my family at the dinner table. I miss working at companies that would promote you within the company and not hire outside executives to their senior positions, cough Target! Also I miss when people applied to jobs in person, and not online to a bunch of websites, and we meet people in real life!
My wife and I still down at the dinning room table for our meals and talk about our day. When are sons was still at home all his friends said 'I wish my family did this".
I'm Gen X (1977), and had a single mom working 2 jobs to get by. However, I grew up with most of these as well cos I had a family that had my mom's back. So as mom worked I had those family dinners & running around the neighborhood on my bike. But I also sat down with my mom at the table on Sat as she paid the bills. She filled out the checks & I stuffed and licked the envelope. I watched as she deducted each from the check register. She taught me how to budget my monthly expenses at a young age. McD's was a 1-2 times a year treat, not an every day/week thing. I didn't get the best of clothes.... most of the time they were hand me downs from my cousins OR bought from Goodwill (or another 2nd hand store). This is why today I can live contentedly on SSI-Disability today. Be happy with you have, and live within your means.
I’m an early boomer of 1948. Retired ten years ago. This video is precisely the roadmap of my life. Only exception was that I worked 49 years with 3 different companies. 29yr, 9yr, 11yr. ALL 3 had defined benefit pension plans which are paying me every month. So, my retirement income is six figures. No regrets.
We are always overlooked. The boomers had millennials. So their grandchildren are these children of today that don’t do anything. Says a lot without saying anything..
I don’t see kids out and around the neighborhood like we did when I was growing up. Looking back it was the grace of God that my friend and I never got kidnapped. During the summer we slept outside a lot. Anywhere from midnight until around 2AM we would get out and walk the neighborhood because we could, it was frowned on and we just loved being out and about when it was so quiet. But who knows how many kids in our neighborhood went missing that we didn’t know about? The number of crazies out there abducting kids, molesting kids, drug use…there’s a lot more of it now. Alcohol use is definitely still a problem but the drinking kids used to do almost seems like amateur hour.
But all those milk cartons with missing children back in the 70s-80s and now the YT videos finding children through their DNA that were abducted and killed 40-50 years ago. Man, it sure gives me pause, because we spent a lot of time on our bikes, often solo.
Born in 59. Youngest of 6. Some things were good, others not. I always remember the “kids are seen, not heard “ days. You kids go outside, you kids be quiet, you kids go to bed. Everything was about my parents, I never felt seen or heard. My parents loved to drink and smoke, which was normal at the time. But a lot of second hand smoke and many hungover mornings while we kids would sit and eat cereal and watch cartoons, waiting for them to get up. Yes we ate dinner at the table, but we still do that now. It wasn’t all terrific in the 60’s.
We sat down as a family and ate as a family. Plus, we ate what was served. Honestly, technology has ruined the essence of being a family. 🙁 Thank you for going back to the good old days. 😊
_... we at what was served ..._ True. If we didn't like what was for dinner tonight ... oh well ... there's always tomorrow night. My mom said "Eat what I make, I'm not a short order cook."
1951 boomer here. Agree with everything here, but would like to add something. In the 50s and 60s, cancer was a death sentence, people dropped dead of heart attacks in their 30-40s, our grandparents looked really OLD in their sixties and car crashes killed a lot of people that would be alive today with all the safety devices built into cars. Eating crappy food then and smoking more was also a big killer. I’m glad for today’s live saving technology, but miss the simple times of growing up as a boomer.
Thank you for stating those facts . Many co workers retiring in the mid 1970’s already had major health issues . Love them all great co workers that were of the years smoke drink all the time . Most died shortly after they retired . But all had great stories growing up in the 1930’ to through the 1960’s
Right, I was born in ‘57 and my little league baseball coach, who lived across the street from us, died of a heart attack at age 35 in 1966. His favorite food was Kentucky Fried Chicken. My dad was a high school science teacher, and in 1969 one of his teacher colleagues was murdered by a hitchhiker he had picked up…his body was found stuffed in the trunk of his car. And much of the country was racially segregated back then, too, and us kids and our parents had to deal with “bussing” as the government’s answer to make things more equitable. And race riots plagued the 1960s. So yes, the 1950s-1960s wasn’t as perfect as many Boomers portray it today.
I am a Boomer, born in 1953. I agree about eating dinner as a family and this is something my family of four (Mom, Dad, me, younger brother) did most nights. We would talk about our day, gossip about the neighbors and talk about our plans for the upcoming day(s). My dad worked in the aerospace industry and frequently had to work overtime. On those days my mom would sometimes take my brother and I out to dinner so she could have a break from cooking.
They were the best days growing up in the 60’s. So easy to follow in my mom’s footsteps. I was able to be a stay at home mom, not without sacrifice of course. 😊 always family meals together. I hope my kids follow in my footsteps.
1961 here. What I recall, that is quite a change, is that the nuclear family only had one bread winner - the man. The wife stayed home because the husband's salary was enough. The wife stayed home and was cleaning, cooking and caring for the kids. Nowadays it's daycare for rhe kids because the mom has to work too so they can afford that new overpriced SUV, the wifi and a new 70" flatscreen. I miss family dinner - my mom was a really good cook.
Putting women in the workplace essentially doubled available workers and therefore drove down wages to the point that husband and wife both had to work just to make ends meet. Thanks ladies...
Many families had ONE car. Pretty much EVERYONE had ONE TV. There were no such things as cell phones, cable TV, nobody had 3 or 4 TVs in the house," it was just different in so many ways.
@@josephgaviota Ah yes, I remember the one TV. And what was showing? Whatever Dad said it was. No argument. Luckily my dad was a Mechanical Engineer, so he always wanted the new tech. We were the first on our block to get the colour TV. And the first Microwave Oven. Batman IN COLOUR!
In the segment on outdoor play, I also remember there were school clothes and play clothes. My mother would make me change clothes after school before allowing me outside to play. Both parents are deceased, but these videos reunite me with them... if only for 8 minutes or so.
I agree with much of what you say, except for the starter home. A lot of boomer families rented cheaply until they could afford the down payment on a small house. Then you could expand that house or trade up the property ladder as your family grew. Today, newly married couples want the biggest, fanciest house even if they can’t afford it. That’s a big difference. Same with cars. We all started with beaters, and improved our ride over time. Not today. The workplace has also changed, so that having a job with one company and working your way to the top is impossible now. Workers can’t be blamed for that. I wish we could go back to the wild, free range kids we used to have. Physically fit, adventurous, and capable. Came home dirty, exhausted, and full of adventure stories for the dinner table. A hot bath, ring around the tub, mom scrubbing behind your filthy ears, and then eager for bed. Couldn’t wait to hit the sheets and get up early to do it all again.
I'm a boomer and I remember when I got my first bike, that bike meant one thing to me Freedom , freedom to explore , freedom to wander, freedom to see friends who lived across town from me. In hindsight it was a wonderful time.
Excellent. 1942, 6 months after Pearl Harbour, living near San Francisco. I saw a lot of history on TV live. We were told the cean would never run out of fish. We did the Duck and Cover in primary school, Our refrigerator was an icebox, and our record player was a windup 78 with a horn. Later In 1959, I was 17 grade 11 and I dated a grade 10 girl 16. |When driving her home, she excitedly told me me her mother married at 16, and suggested we should tell her mother we just got married. She did, and her mother was going to hug me.
3:20 I fully agree, from the day we turned 15, _ALL_ we could think about was being 15-½ so we could get our learners permit, and DRIVE. My first vehicle was older than me, a '55 Chevy pickup I bought for $300-and drove for YEARS.
I graduated HS in 75' one of the first cars I looked at to buy was a 57' Ply. Fury. a 66' T-Bird, a 69' Charger. Ended up buying a 69' Ply Road Runner with a 383. My first actual car was a Hand me down 65' Barracuda.
Not a baby boomer, but an elder millennial. Of all the ideas listed, I could only fully agree with having dinner together as a family. I don't think some of the ideas listed as being "rejected" is very fair to the current/post-boomer generation. The perception of being constantly glued to smartphones and citing as examples the waiting room at a medical appointment and the DMV? These are not places where people are often in the mood to chat and socialize, boomers included. Isn't that the reason there are often magazines in the waiting rooms? Staring at your smartphone while waiting to be seen at an appointment is no different from reading a magazine. I am also fairly certain that the post-boomer generation is just as eager to own their own home/place and be independent (financially and otherwise) from their parents. The current housing market makes this goal basically impossible for the post-boomer generation. A "starter home" isn't some post-boomer generation fad; it is something sorely lacking in the current housing market thus making it difficult for the post-boomer generation to be able to be first time homeowners. When an average home costs upwards of 650k in some areas, how can you expect the post-boomer generation to not chase the higher income? I am sure many of the post-boomer generation would love to just settle for a job getting paid bimonthy with a pension if that job can actually provide an income that would enable them to be homeowners.
I was raised on a farm. Life was great. Hunting fishing and exploring the woods and forest. Going swimming at the local swimming hole. Running around in the woods at night. Laying in the middle of the road looking at the stars. No cars around for miles.
I am a lady born in 1949. We always had something to do, and it was usually free or cheap. Ths show was 25 cents, and we got two movies, cartoons, and previews of coming attractions. We found joy in associating with friends and cousins. The neighbors recognized every kid on the block, and they squealed on you to your parents if you did something wrong or put bandaids on you if you got hurt. We climbed trees and built tree houses. In the spring we cut wild asparagus and sold it door to door. Those were the days . . .
Both sexes played street hockey or softball together where the streets intersected, saving up paper route money for those banana seat bikes; street dances & swimming at the local pool in the summer, rotary dial phone in the kitchen with a long cord that extended to the back bedrooms, a K&B starter house with a crawl space to store your Christmas decorations, and roller skating (4 wheels) parties with rock & disco music in the mid-70s. I've been spending a bit too much time in the past recently I guess.
You didnt miss a thing & yes, bring it all back again! A video I'd recommend is showing how young people from the baby boomer gen and before had to respect their elders. That includes parents, grandparents, teachers, police, firemen, etc. Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed watching it. 😊
Wow, this was scathing! I’m not a boomer - Gen X here - but while I agree with a lot that you mentioned, I disagree with some of it. I’m not from the US, so I can’t comment on some of the points; however, where I live, owning a home is swiftly becoming a dream for most people. Housing prices are off the charts. I was lucky and managed to get into the market way before it left the rails. Where I live, you need to have an income of at least $130,000 a year in order to qualify for a mortgage - and the home you’ll get for that is pretty crappy. It is sad to know that my kids may never be able to own a home. Even rental prices are out of control. A one bedroom apartment costs on average $2000/month here. On top of that, paying off student loans has become a lifelong endeavour for some people. When I graduated university and got a job, the business of paying off my loans started. They weren’t paid off til I was 36. And I didn’t go to concerts because I couldn’t afford them. The housing market, cost of groceries, sky-high student loans etc are why a lot of people look for jobs that will pay them more and more - and why a lot of people end up back home with mom and dad. With what I was making with my job out of university (and I’m a teacher), I would not have been able to afford rent and paying back student loans if prices were like they are now. And the starting salary for teachers where I’m from hasn’t really improved a whole lot in the last 25 years. Sometimes, we lose the score and don’t think all the way through an argument with logic. Again, I can’t comment on the US cause I don’t live there. However, here, it is grim. Yes: we eat dinner together pretty much every night and I feel like I failed at something as a mom when we don’t eat dinner together. We tried to raise our daughter “free range”, but that came to a crashing halt with covid…as did the lack of screen time we were giving her. We have held onto some of the traditions from our boomer parents, but others were stolen from us. And it does make me sad: but I don’t blame the kids.
I was born in 1947. Should have said something about: the Vietnam war and war protests, the "draftee's of the baby boom", the 1960's counter culture, 'the generation gap' (referring to the cultural differences between the WWII generation and the baby boomers) and the civil rights movement.
I was 9 yrs old in 1966 when my WW2 22yr Navy vet dad retired to Miami . $ 11,000 home and played in the woods and each summer was at the rec center for summer camp . Always outside unless it was raining all day . Cartoons Saturday morning. Delivered the newspaper by bike and cut lawns . I'm 67 now and dad would be happy how I turned out . I don"t have alot dad , but I have enough , he would always say . 1957
I’m 55 and can relate to everything in this video, I’m so glad I had a childhood like that. One huge improvement with life these days is online banking, bill paying and extended shopping hours, when I was a kid banks closed at 4pm Mon-Fri and stores closed at 12 noon on a Saturday and closed Sunday so I guess our parents had to be very organised, mind you we had checks to pay with if you missed the bank. Our parents didn’t drive us anywhere unless it was raining, we went everywhere on our bikes, no wonder we were skinny kids
Companies have done away with 2 week vacation (now lump vacation and sick time together....call it "pto" and often starts out as 5 days for the whole thing). Companies also did away with pensions. You can invest in an IRA yourself, but your retirement is not guaranteed if the market tanks. Finally, if insurance is offered, it is often prohibitively expensive for the employee (my 30 yo daughter's insurance for self, husband and child was 1000.00 a month at previous job). That's insane. If companies would go back to offering vacation, pensions and affordable insurance, employees would stay. There is no incentive to do so, though. The employee is expendable, so why should they respond with loyalty? I agree that we should be spending more time with each other, however, video games and smartphones came into being on OUR watch. So as a baby boomer, I have to wonder how much I added to what is wrong now.
Legit question, but the answer is, depends on the company. There are some companies that believe in taking care of their people and providing a positive workplace environment and providing a good product. If you find one, the benefits are long term friendship at work and opportunities for internal promotion.
This video claims that Boomers worked for a single employer their entire lives. This is a terrible exaggeration. Many industries (radio, television, and appliance manufacturers, steel manufacturing, etc.) had already gone overseas by the time we entered our 20s. Not everything was rosy.
I had so much fun as a boomer kid. Around Halloween my friends and I would ride our "Raleigh" bikes through an old large cemetery late at night. I had a generator light on my bike so I was in the lead. Rats would be zooming by, the New England autumn leaves swirling around, expecting to see the Wolfman or Dracula around each corner, the shear terror of it all was exhilarating.
I am a late boomer (1960) & I definitely learned how to make it thru life! My hubby & I use cash more, except for large purchases or hotels on trips then its the credit card (but know when to stay with in our budget!). I have reverted back to paying bills by checks in the mail, balancing the checkbook evert week, using coupons & such to save $, stocking up when you can & cooking more at home (saving the eating out for trips & special occasions),... Many lessons learned from parents who lived on 1 income (daddy's) & watching mom making things stretch each week. These were valuable lessons to have learned & still are needed today!
Very well said. Watching this video reminds me of how wise I remained through the years. I'm 62. Healthy active happy and Thankful that I grew up in the era in which morals and values were examples from our parents. My daughter and son, 38 and 34 were raised as I was. I gave up a bank job to be a mother. I cooked cleaned and grew veggies. I planted flowers I played outside with my children. I read books to them. No babysitters. Thanks to my parents for being wonderful examples. Today my grandchildren have devices and it's the way of the world. They are monitored but still it's different. I loved my growing up years and at this age I want to live like that again. So I simplified Weeded out things Gave things away sold a few things and kept the memories. If only...
Born June 1956; always had breakfast and dinner as a family unit. Knew everyone within a mile radius as a kid 8 to 18 yrs. Played everyday outside even if a foot of snow was everywhere. Today I never take a smart phone anywhere. A flip phone always. Most people are totally addicted to their smartphone and will panic without it! The 21st century sucks !
It’s discussed the freedom my GF now wife of nearly 50 years got while in High School when I was able to get a job and car. My parents were typical of the time “ if you wanted something well you’d better work for it”! Neighborhoods were very important too, you learned to deal with all types of people right there in your neighborhood.
People are working hard harder than ever and they have almost nothing. The game is rigged. I’m 60 and it’s 10 times harder to get by than it was when I was in my 20s
1956 here. I started making my own money when I was 10, at 15 I was selling Fuller brush door to door. At 17 I bought a brand new car and bought my first house at 23.
1953 here. I had a paper route (60 customers) at age 10. Worked for a live bait company (2 evenings, Sat. & Sun.) at age 12. A variety of summer jobs throughout high school. Licensed at 16 and bought my first used car from my older brother at 17. Began a career with a major international manufacturing company at age 19 and acquired my business degree and two professional certifications through night school over the next 11 years, and the company paid all the education costs. Bought my first house with my fiance (6 months before we were married) at age 24 and paid the house off at age 32, just before our first child was born. I have twin niece and nephew who are now 26 and they have both just started their very first jobs.
@chrisgraham2904 I guess we boomers just had more drive. We knew if you wanted something you had to work for it. So we did, today young people want e everything, but want mom and dad to pay for it.
With a $12 an hour job try buying a $50,000 car and a $400,000 home add the number is it doesn’t work anymore. You’re the people who don’t want minimum wage to go up. It’s not hard to understand we get almost nothing anymore.
My parents paid $27,000 for their house in 1964. Today that house can be listed for over $1,000,000. Dinner was on the table at 6:00 because dad demanded it be there even after mom working all day,too. But it was consistent.
I went to my cousin's wedding around 2014, where we were seated with her friend, the friend's husband, and their two young school age children. They all pulled out screen devices and *refused* to participate in any conversation. I felt it was rude not to at least try to converse. And I've heard a few younger people complain that Boomers should give up their houses so their generation can have them. I can still mow my lawn, take care of my yard, and make small repairs. We worked HARD to get those houses. We're not leaving them til we must. But I'm liking Gen Z. All that stuff you said about the younger generation that expects everything handed to them- I don't see that. I see a lot of hard workers who work smarter, not harder, and want a good work/ life balance. There's always a few weasels in every generation, ours as well.
I have neighbors and others I know that are the same way. They can't carry on a conversation with you without getting on their phones. It's so rude. They would rather do that than to have conversation with another person. I hate it.
And boy are some of the Zoomers a lot smarter and savvier much quicker than we Boomers ever were when it comes to the corporate world. I love watching Veronica on YT occasionally.
As a kid in 1970s, if you told your parents you wanted to go to another room in the house to eat dinner by yourself, they would have thought something was seriously wrong with you. But today, that’s perfectly normal.
@@DanaTheInsane No, at home. We also ate together as a family in the 70s until the kids were in high school activities & part-time jobs. But still ate in the kitchen when we came home.
Right from the beginning dinner time needs to come back. In fact, I'm keeping/saving this video! Neighborhood parties are also gone. We don't even know our neighbours unless we need help. Because I have a physical limitation most neighbours in the 15 storey building where I live know me. But still, we need balance in our today's society. It's heartbreaking to see dinner table empty.
As a baby boomer, when I was first on my own, I used the envelope system to budget my money. There was an envelope for every spending category and I wrote how much money went into every envelope. You quickly learned that if you overspent in one category, another would end up suffering in another. It was a great lesson in finances.
I was born in 1958. Lived on a 40 acre farm. As kids up in the yard with sheds and detached buildings we played hide and seek. Everyone remembers the slip and slides back then. Until I saved up enough for a real one I would put a long green sheet of plastic on the lawn with the water hose running on it and just slide across it on a hot day. The latter 60s. What Memories.
I usually bring my own magazine with me. One that I enjoy, as usually the Dr office or Dental doesn't have anything that interests me. Not hard to bring reading material with you.
This was a great one. So true about everything. You didnt even have to be asked or wait to be told to help. You hust knew you had to do , you did it and you then went abouty your day
Food used to require work and families were grateful to have it if your parents grew up in the great depression. You sat at the table and gave thanks. My dad always reminded us that his family only had meat on Sunday !
On the cusp between Boomer and Gen X. I don’t remember people who deliberately chopped off their genitals and said they were not the gender they were born as.
Late Boomer here, I didn't remember anyone either, but I've seen people from my school on Classmates who aren't the same sex anymore that they were when we were in school together. Weird for me to contemplate because I just can't wrap my head around any of that.
Thanks!
Also born in 59. I did love the freedom and music of the times, not having to worry about going to school and getting shot. This paints a picture of an idyllic past but I just need to say that we were really poor so I never got to experience a lot of what others did. My parents never owned a house, it was a dysfunctional family, with no available therapy. Dad was drinking and driving and getting into accidents, and had emphysema from smoking. Mom got cancer and died because of late diagnosis and no effective treatment at that time. I was sent to a less than ideal foster home at age 10. I never got married and had kids, never wanted to.
What was in my recollection road isn't all so fondly remembered. I'm not asking for sympathy, it was a long time ago and it's the past, gone and mostly forgotten. And that's where it will stay.
I'm a gen xer you spoke nothing but the truth I love your content you told the truth this is what today's generation need to go back to
1962 here, tail end Baby Boomer. Had a great childhood, not a want for anything. Mom stayed home and took care of us three kids, cooked and cleaned. Dad worked, but he also helped around the house. Kids did too. It was a great childhood, no computers, only 5 channels of TV, low to no crime, remember playing soldier all day (yes with toy guns) or riding bike all day and coming home at lunch then back out side. Baseball, Football, Basketball, fishing, camping, model rocketry (with no need for adults), model airplane on a string. No worries at all, life was good, not to mention the best rock music of the 70's...Beatles, Stones..those were the days I want to go back...
@@Lifestinks Boomers were not anywhere near as entitled as genzers my friend...and I was not spoiled and worked hard my entire life, something that my parents taught me.
@@sammy6235 Well said, well said...
@@Lifestinks I have three daughters and they all went to college and have jobs and are out of the house...
@sam6235 It's definitely harder today to get out on ones own. The cost of living has skyrocketed and it's an opportunity for families to to draw closer and help each other out. Sadly, some people would rather be on the street then be under the same roof with relatives.
Agree 10000 %
I'm a retired child therapist. Family dinner, age appropriate chores, outdoor unsupervised free play, sharp limits on screens, regular mealtimes and bedtimes, with plenty of sleep... those things alone would decrease child and adolescent mental health issues by a lot.
And in some places, it’s literally against the law for children to play in their own yard unsupervised.
@@bonniegaither3994 Unfortunately, kidnapping happens too often in the US for that to always be safe.
It won't help the kids who are abused tho. And I agree kids need to go outside more but when you have crazy people kidnapping kids from their driveways it's perfectly understandable why parents don't want their kids go outside by themselves anymore. We need to bring back those sense of communities again. I remember my grandfather telling me how the apartment complex he lived in knew everyone so you couldn't get away with nothing lol. We need to bring this back
I grew up in the 1970s. Free time, some freedoms. A lot of time spent at my maternal grandparents(across the ballfield) in their in-ground pool, bike was my independence(vehicle for/of), going to Monson Free Library(Monson, MA), Firth's(store, restaurant), Armata's Supermarket. I learned how to shovel snow(long sidewalk) and use the phone book, rotary/push button phones. Physical card catalogs in libraries. I had my Library Card at three(Mom taught me to read, early) at three years old. I live next door in Palmer and their Library is fabulous, too! Fantastic staff, electronic card catalog, inter-library loans, getting "hold" reserving books, media) is fabulous!
Amen
I am a baby boomer 1957. I miss the family around the dinner table. Riding my bike for miles a day. Playing with friends until the street lights came on. I couldn’t wait to get my drivers license! The classroom portion and behind the wheel were part of our school curriculum. I never got money from my parents for all the cleaning and babysitting my sisters. I cleaned houses and babysat until I turned 16. Went to work at McDonald’s. That money bought me clothes and accessories, gas, money to go see a movie or other entertainment. I did marry my high school sweetheart. We got engaged six months out of high school. Married at age 20. We built our first house the first year of marriage. I paid for most of the wedding and he saved for the house. A year after moving into our house our daughter was born. Hubby and I didn’t go to college. We both had good jobs with excellent healthcare benefits. We took classes later. I feel bad using cash at stores or other places. I have a debit card but my motto was if I don’t have cash for something then I don’t get it. When I worked at McDonald’s we had to count back change to the customer. Now, they just plop the change in your hand. We have some places here that are cashless already. I am old school. Prefer to use cash first.
Me too! I refuse to do online banking too! 😊
I also prefer to use cash.
This sounds just like my life
growing up. We had such a awesome childhood 😊
I'm presently 42 (*so much younger than many people on this thread probably?), but I don't get that about preferring cash??; because debit is the same as cash (*assuming your debit account doesn't have a reserve credit line attached to it, right?)
@@1Corinthians6Verses9thru11 I find that if I use a credit card or a debit card (which I do use), I tend not to watch my spending. I guess it's a matter of discipline.
Born in 59 ….our America is long gone
Glad to have grown up when I did
Amen! 61
1958 for me. SO blessed to have been born then! A golden time gone forever!
1949 ... and I am very saddened about what our beloved country has become.
@@Doc_Dolan Yup!
I was born in 78 but i miss my childood and how it was back then. It saddens me more than anything. Im in shock everyday when i turn on the news or just go out in public for that matter.
I’m a baby boomer, born 1953. Live was simpler then. We could not watch TV while eating and we all ate together at dinner table as a family every day. We played outside for hours and did not like staying in the house.
Baby Boomer, 1960s kid. We watched tv on Saturday mornings, with the tv stand/and at times, tv dinners. I would go for bike rides around town(Monson, MA) and learn phone numbers, zip codes. I still use those skills today!
Same year. I can't imagine eating dinner without a TV. The countries gone to hell but I do love computers and ultra HD TV.
Your story is what I remember myself. Unless I was too sick in bed to come to the table, I always ate with my folks. It was unheard of at our house to eat in the den and watch tv although later we did have a tv in the kitchen. I remember watching "Truth or Consequences" (an old game show with Bob Barker as the host) after the news while we were eating.
That's why TV dinners were invented?
Common sense or stupidity?
Born in 1948, same here.
This video was spot on! My husband and I are retired, but we still sit down to the dinner table every night. We married right out of high school and have been together for 58 years. As kids we roamed the streets all summer; however there were so many of us in those days that we always played in groups. I remember at one point growing up there were 85 kids on our block! Today with fewer kids it’s not as safe and moms aren’t always home like they were back in the day. I couldn’t wait to get my driver’s license when I turned 16, but my 16 year old granddaughter doesn’t even have a learner’s permit. We bought our first home at age 25 after my husband spent 4 years in the service. It wasn’t great, but it was what we could afford, and we bought it with a G. I. loan and no down payment. We later sold it for a nicer home in a better neighborhood, then sold that one and bought our current home that is mortgage free. We both worked for the same company for years and were able to retire early. I am so glad I grew up when I did, and am proud of my “Baby Boomer” ideals and values. They have served me well.
My wife and I were both twenty when we married and are at 56+ years. She worked sporadically until our youngest was 17 before getting full time work as a teacher from which she took an early retirement a number of years ago. After my stint in the army I had several different jobs in various industries before becoming self employed around 42 years ago and recently retired. We too bought our first house with a VA mortgage at 9% our 3rd home had a 12 1/2% mortgage. Our current home is mortgage free. I think our lives parallel many “boomers” lives.
My wife and I still work at separate companies for 30+ years. We live on a cul de sac with 20 houses. There are 9 children and 15 dogs. I am the last of 9 children 1963. When my wife and I were married 30 years ago there was only 7 weddings our large church . My children are the only ones that mow the lawn and shovel snow on our street.
You had economic opportunities that simply have not been available to the generation beneath you.
Growing up as a boomer, it’s no surprise that I did family dinners, we all ate together a home-cooked meal. Once I was a mother with children of my own, I continued that tradition we all ate at the table and I made a homemade dinner rarely did we go out.
Agreeing 100% with @carol, as kids many things were "too expensive," and we just DIDN'T do them. We ate out maybe once a month. Of course in the early '60s "eating out" was pretty much one of "a bucket of chicken from Kentucky Fried Chicken" or "Chinese Take out." There really wasn't a lot of fast food back then.
@@josephgaviota fast food for me and my friends was a rave, micky D's...Wetsons...Mazaratzi's!😎💯💫👍!
I was born in 1955. And had the best childhood ever. Riding our bikes to the public pool and all over the neighborhood. So much fun! ❤
Oh I set up Evil Knievel bike jumps over the pool!
1961. We rode a few miles to get to Whittier narrows. Spent all day riding around the lakes then back home just B4 dusk. Never had trouble never thought my own children would never know such freedom. They do gather their own families around the table every evening for dinner.
It was so much fun going outside to play whenever we wanted. The adults in the neighborhood always kept an eye on things and would intervene if necessary. But usually we would handle things on our own. That's how we learned.
I'm older than you are
Na na na naaa na
Born in 59, it has amazed me how my sons and their generation rarely used a bicycle or walked to school. I think I walked to the bus stop when I was 5 or 6. We had much greater independence.
I was born in 1961, and I miss those days of long ago. GREAT music, movies and people were nice, and kids were taught to be polite and respectful to each other and their elders. Best times for kids to have grown up in.
I was also born in 1961. It was a great time to be a kid (at least for me)! I had wonderful memories enjoying my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and family. A number of them have passed away 😢. But I’m grateful for all the wonderful memories that God has blessed me with, and continues to bless me each and everyday!😇🙌👏. I’m also grateful for my siblings 🥰!!!
Malls! Radio Shack, Orange Julius, The Flaming Pit(the now, demolished Eastfield Mall in Springfield, MA), hearing popular songs on the amped-up radios, "Love's Theme" from Barry White, Captain & Tenille, The Hustle, Steiger's, Friendly's, what a fun place! Shop, eat, socialize, all under one roof, climate-controlled, fabulous!
Also born in 1961, also had a great childhood. But my grandfather (born in 1911) often regaled us with tales of his childhood and bemoaned the fact that we would never have as good a childhood as he did. I’m glad for what I had (mostly) but think my kids had a pretty good childhood as well - they certainly think so - and I expect my grandkids will, too.
An old boomer here. I remember all those things mentioned in this video. Playing outside was imperative and we loved it. We played all sports throughout the year. Yes, there was bullying and we had to deal with it and we did. Today I live in a nice middle-class neighborhood in the US. In my current location for 26 years, I have never seen a young kid or teenager even mow the yard. We did that with those manual push mowers with rotating blades as soon as we were old enough to use those manual mowers. Ranking leaves or pine straw, clearing off snow from driveways, washing cars, plus doing our share of the house chores were required as part of our contribution to the family. I am so glad I was part of the era. The greatest music ever to be heard was in the '60s and '70s It was great and much better to grow up then than the kids do today.
As an Eisenhower era Boomer, I can say with certainty that the grass was indeed greener and the sky bluer.
Yeah, gotta love the Military Industrial Complex... 🤞🤯👍
Until you got your Draft notice!
@@maxon-m3c I was the last group of 17 year-olds to have a Draft Lottery prior to going all volunteer. I was 079. I enlisted about a week after the fall of Saigon. Proud to have served.
@@maxon-m3c I was the last group of 17 year-olds to have a Draft Lottery prior to going all volunteer. I was 079. I enlisted just after the fall of Saigon. Proud to have served.
No air conditioning. Hot summers trying to sleep. Tinny mono transisiter radios. Small screen black and white TVs. Not everything was better
I live on a lake and every morning go on my patio to drink my coffee and watch the ducks and herons and listen to the birds.Most people that I see come by the water just sit and stare at their phones.They don't understand how important connecting to nature is 🦆🦆
That's sad. I've seen people like this while out hiking. They have music blaring from their phones while out in the woods.
Same phenomenon as people sticking up their phones to record a concert or fireworks that they will never look at again when they are actually THERE in person. Enjoying the moment in real time seems to be lost anymore.
I can't stand people that have to play music at the beach or while hiking!
Absolutely! When my husband and I go for our walks, we take in all the nature, flowers, listen to the birds. We pass by people just staring at their phones and not even noticing any of the beauty around them.
@@RonSch123 that is strange. they used to hold up bic lighters. just sit down and listen
A kid from the 50s here. Childhood was awesome in the 50s and 60s. The best decade of TV was the 60s. Having a bike was your freedom which later became your car and yes, chomping at the bit to get that learners permit was real. I actually wore the tread off of more than one set of bike tires. We ate what we were served in our house and there was no eating anywhere except at the dinner table.
I was not given an allowance. My parents didn't feel they should be paying us for chores that we were responsible for keeping up as that is part of family responsibilities. Can't remember how many times I heard things like "I don't get paid to cook your food or do your laundry, do I?" I had to earn money by what is called gig work now. I went around the neighborhood offering to do things for people like mowing grass, cleaning out garages, washing cars and painting for example. There was competition so, you better be good if you want to become someone's regular. I got my first job as soon as I was eligible by age.
Married in the early 70s we had to follow a budget. We didn't have credit cards. We carried a calculator with us to the grocery store to make sure we didn't get more than the cash we had in our pocket. We drove clunker cars I busted more than a few knuckles constantly repairing. Life was grand.
I agree & that's why few kids were overweight, then!
Exactly right! From a 1947 boomer. Only left out our anxieties, wars, unwanted pregnancies, running out of money.
1969, here. Gen-X. This video brings back many memories. Sadly, the world I grew up in is over. Now we live in this modern dystopia.
@MGAC1701 Same here, Born 1969 and a proud member of Gen-X. I miss the good ol’ days where things were so simple and fun. I don’t recognize the Canada I grew up in anymore, it has become a tyrannical regime ran by woke ideology.
@@TheAMBULOCETUS you mean run by fascists' ideology like trump.
I grew up doing and enjoying all of these things - family dinnertime, outdoor activity with friends, long term jobs with close coworkers. The common thread was VALUING in person interaction. Life is short! We lose family and friends all too soon and often unexpectedly. Quality time spent with them is far more important than anything on your phone.
Not all of us are so fortunate to have families who we actually want to be around or can tolerate for more than a few minutes.
Cellphone have replaced real communication
There's truth to that.
I was at a sandwich shop the other day, and two nice young teens, a boy and girl, were sitting at a small table. Rather than staring deeply into the eyes of one another, they were both on their phones, texting away. How sad.
@@josephgaviota Who knows what they were texting to each other. Probably talking about other people they were surrounded by. I've seen it happen before.
@@sj122s Of course I can't know what they were texting about.
It's just that it seems staring into the eyes of a girl would be better than staring onto a small screen; all things being equal.
True story. A few years back, I went to the town I grew up in. I stopped off at a store. A woman in line in front of me pulled out her phone and placed a call. No biggie. I heard a phone ring a few feet away, and I heard someone say, "Hi mom." " Get in line." The mom called her daughter, who was only a few feet away. WTFlip? A few feet away, and you call on a phone?
I’m not a Boomer, but my Mom and Dad are. I was born in 1974, but everything in this video is how I was raised. I was so blessed that my Mom stayed home and raised my brother and I. I wouldn’t change my childhood for anything.
Very good Andy! That very same here except from the same era as your grand-parents.
Those really were the good old days and I think people were much happier then. Today some young people have more mental problems than back then.
Not true. There was a high amount of mental health issues back then. Just the social stigma around it has changed. For ex, shell shocked was used for soldiers coming back from war. We now call it PTSD. And many people who had depression or schizophrenia were locked up in insane asylums aka mental health institutions to be never discussed again by family. Humans have had mental health issues for centuries just now we have somewhat better understanding of them to create medication and therapies.
@@Raja-bz4yw Partly true, but only partly.
I'm a boomer, and a lot of the stuff he's talking about didn't apply to everyone. Sure not to me.
The segment about credit cards, the very high interest rates vs we "oldsters" buying what we can afford ... that was a GREAT contrast.
My grandmother(maternal) told me to ignore the offers for free stuff in the ads for credit cards, in my college book bag. I took her advice. No debt there.
Also biased and not accurate across the board.
My life very much follows the Boomer model described in this video. I was born in 62. I was raised in a rural community where most mothers stayed at home. Five thirty was supper time. On Sunday we'd go to church and then go to my great-grandparent's house with a lot of other relatives. The cigarette smoke was thick and the coffee pot was always on. Just about all the men with blue-collar jobs I knew back then had one primary job and some sort of sideline. My father fixed lawn mowers, an uncle welded, another uncle cut wood, and another uncle fixed cars. The rich kids didn't work on the farms but most of the kids from modest families worked at least seasonally on farms. I started picking strawberries at a farm when I was nine, and I worked at an orchard when I was a teenager. For years I saved all the money I could and I got my license and my first car when I was 16. I got married and bought my first house at 25, we have one daughter. I have worked for the same company for 39 years. Most of the kids I knew growing up bought houses in their 20s, had kids in their 20s or 30s, and have had very successful lives. So, I think that Boomer life plan, work hard, save your money, get married, buy a house, have kids, worked out pretty well.
I'm a 1953 and my wife is a 1954 Baby Boomers and we raised our kids through the 80's and 90's just as we were raised with dinners at home together at the dinner table, conversations without the interruption of the cell phone, playtime outside, birthday parties at friend's homes, sleepovers at the neighbors. All three children are today in their 40's, well-mannered, highly successful and with great careers. Everything centered on family and my wife was a stay at home Mom. We have a lot to be thankful for. I fear the breakdown of the family is the most critical chasm today.
Thanks for outlining the toilet the world has become. I thank my Lord I got the chance to live the life of 'a boomer'. God help the generation of today!
A toilet indeed. No, make that a full-on sewer. As someone who grew up in the mid 60-'s to 70's, I don't even recognize this world anymore.
I always say “Thank God I’m old.”
@@Linda7647 Grew up somewhat earlier and you're right on. We're bombarded with an amount of choices and stimuli that would have been a madhouse nightmare 50-60 years ago. Politics, entertainment, every sphere you can imagine.........no privacy, no backbone, no propriety, no dignity, no self-sacrifice, no holds barred. Entitled wokies getting far more air time than they deserve.
oh a fake sky daddy did that for you? LOL ok whatever.
@@lilsheba1 You've got the right attitude for today's world, kiddo. No run along and be a good little Satan's helper!🤣
When I was a child in the early 1970's children would be outside riding bikes, playing football etc. and visiting friends😃I don't ever see children playing outside anymore😫I'm glad I grew up when I did😁ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
Now people call 911 because the kids are unsupervised.
Visiting nearby grandparents(maternal), biking around town, library, getting chewing gum at the nearest store. We would have to be in by dinner time. A lot of freedom! And responsibility. I learned(with Mom's help) to read at age three, and have had a library card since then. I still make use of it in Palmer, I grew up next door, in Monson. Both in Massachusetts.I am 60 now.
We drank out of the garden hose, and we survived.
We played frisbee. And catch with tennis balls or whatever we found.
We played board games like monopoly and life. We loved playing card games like War, Uno, Old Maid, some others.
Legos were great, but before that there was Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toy.
If you didn’t have those, we did origami, wooden blocks, and odds and ends from around the house. We used oatmeal drums, cereal boxes, etc. We sometimes glued those cardboard boxes, painted them or glued paper on them to pretty them up. These became Barbie houses or mini-cities.
We played softball nearly every summer day.
Good video. I was born in 1951 and got to see a lot of great things in my life. The 1960s brought color TV, muscle cars, and rock music. Those were great times. We were very safe. Most of the Dads were vets and looked after all of us and could smack us if we deserved it. We behaved and that made later life much easier. Good Luck, Rick
I'm a 1958 vintage, and I remember putting my Schwinn Stingray away, coming in for dinner around the table, then watching Andy Griffith, Batman, etc, on one of the 3 channels we got! It's scary to think kids today might be claiming 50 years from now that the 2010's and 2020's were great years to grow up. I don't even want to think what life might be like then!
I have a granddaughter who was born in the 2000s and she loves to watch Andy Griffith.
Ivesaid for years ... will these someday be called the good ol days ? UGHA
Recollection Road RULES!!!!!!!👍🏻ROCK ON!!!!!!!🤘🏻🤙🏻✌🏻
Married at 20. Fifty years together last week… faith, family, friends. Our oldest is 46… youngest is 24. Eight altogether.
Wow. My maternal grandparents were married for thirty-eight years, happily. I lived with my Mom's parents as a teen/young adult, a great experience!
With heavy hearts we had to tell out eldest child (55) it was time for her to join AARP and move into a Del Webb community. When she hits 65 she will have to watch, Murder She Wrote, The Price Is Right and Matlock everyday.
@@stanwolenski9541 these are simply the things we parents must do 😜
Born in 57, breakfast, lunch, and dinner together at the table. Friends played after school football, catch,or gathered to watch TV, wild wild west, Batman and Robin. Back home at dark. Had a great childhood.
I’m the end of baby boomers, 1965. My generation was THE last to enjoy a fun free childhood. My baby brother was the beginning of the next generation. They destroyed family’ gatherings. ‘Family’ restaurants. Now all ‘fast food’ places. We need to bring back family oriented activities.
Me too -- born in 65 and my sister was born in 1969, The difference in the culture we were raised in, even though we had the same parents and everything, made us very different adults. There was no victim mentality for me; there was for her generation. Brand name culture was getting its claws into teenagers by the early 70s. Thank goodness I was already secure in the teaching that labels didn't matter. I could go on, but you all lived it and know what I'm saying. This generation is being raised in a moral vacuum and a societal morass of bitterness, hatred and victim-hood. I pray for and fear for the next generation, I truly do.
It’s not GEN X that destroyed anything, it’s the baby boomers kids the millennials who were brought up selfish, where women had no rights and where domestic violence was just accepted. Gays were hated as was anyone who wasn’t white, male, Christian , married and straight. Baby boomers destroyed the environment , Gen X got left with the mess
You don't like it?
They? Who is they? Gen X still enjoys family dinner, and cooks actual meals. I know a lot of Boomers who fed their kids out of boxes and cans while making them fend for themselves after school- latch key kids. Boomers birthed them, but now “they” know how to cook and fend for themselves.
@@daniellekennedy8118sorry to hear your sister missed out. Not the norm for Gen x.
As a Gen Xer, most of these things were still normal in my family.
I'd love to see station wagons and simple work trucks (with "wing windows") make a comeback!
I drive a elementary school bus and most of the kids do not own a bicycle but they all have smartphones.
I bought my nephew a bicycle for Christmas a couple years back. He refuses to learn to ride. He is now 10. I learned when I was 6 and was ridiculed for taking so long by my friends. Rather sad the direction we've gone.
Glad my girls love riding their bikes. And they don’t get screen time unless it’s super classic cartoons like Scooby doo Care Bears and my little pony oh and the old Superbook and flying house from the 80s. But that’s when I’m cleaning so I can’t take them outside. But lately they rather do puzzles and art and crafts
Roads nowadays are more hostile to bikers than in the past. They are wider and built mainly for car traffic often without any protected bike lanes, so bikers feel unsafe having to share them with cars travelling several times their speed and weighing orders of magnitude more.
@chetthebee: i had a boomer friend whose 2 kids never learned to ride bikes and i was floored lol
I lived in the country and rode a horse to my part time job on a farm .
I’m a Gen X, I still spend time with my family at the dinner table. I miss working at companies that would promote you within the company and not hire outside executives to their senior positions, cough Target! Also I miss when people applied to jobs in person, and not online to a bunch of websites, and we meet people in real life!
My wife and I still down at the dinning room table for our meals and talk about our day. When are sons was still at home all his friends said 'I wish my family did this".
We make dinner every night and eat together at the table too❤
I'm Gen X (1977), and had a single mom working 2 jobs to get by. However, I grew up with most of these as well cos I had a family that had my mom's back. So as mom worked I had those family dinners & running around the neighborhood on my bike. But I also sat down with my mom at the table on Sat as she paid the bills. She filled out the checks & I stuffed and licked the envelope. I watched as she deducted each from the check register. She taught me how to budget my monthly expenses at a young age. McD's was a 1-2 times a year treat, not an every day/week thing. I didn't get the best of clothes.... most of the time they were hand me downs from my cousins OR bought from Goodwill (or another 2nd hand store). This is why today I can live contentedly on SSI-Disability today. Be happy with you have, and live within your means.
I’m an early boomer of 1948. Retired ten years ago. This video is precisely the roadmap of my life. Only exception was that I worked 49 years with 3 different companies. 29yr, 9yr, 11yr. ALL 3 had defined benefit pension plans which are paying me every month. So, my retirement income is six figures.
No regrets.
Lucky you. Those opportunities don’t exist for younger generations.
Many of these still occurred during Gen X.
The only sane generation left at this point.
@@RetroMMA💯
If you consider picking your nose at the dinner table acceptable.
We are always overlooked. The boomers had millennials. So their grandchildren are these children of today that don’t do anything. Says a lot without saying anything..
@@RetroMMA hey hey there, not true
I don’t see kids out and around the neighborhood like we did when I was growing up. Looking back it was the grace of God that my friend and I never got kidnapped. During the summer we slept outside a lot. Anywhere from midnight until around 2AM we would get out and walk the neighborhood because we could, it was frowned on and we just loved being out and about when it was so quiet. But who knows how many kids in our neighborhood went missing that we didn’t know about? The number of crazies out there abducting kids, molesting kids, drug use…there’s a lot more of it now. Alcohol use is definitely still a problem but the drinking kids used to do almost seems like amateur hour.
But all those milk cartons with missing children back in the 70s-80s and now the YT videos finding children through their DNA that were abducted and killed 40-50 years ago. Man, it sure gives me pause, because we spent a lot of time on our bikes, often solo.
Born in 59. Youngest of 6. Some things were good, others not. I always remember the “kids are seen, not heard “ days. You kids go outside, you kids be quiet, you kids go to bed. Everything was about my parents, I never felt seen or heard. My parents loved to drink and smoke, which was normal at the time. But a lot of second hand smoke and many hungover mornings while we kids would sit and eat cereal and watch cartoons, waiting for them to get up. Yes we ate dinner at the table, but we still do that now. It wasn’t all terrific in the 60’s.
We sat down as a family and ate as a family. Plus, we ate what was served. Honestly, technology has ruined the essence of being a family. 🙁
Thank you for going back to the good old days. 😊
_... we at what was served ..._
True. If we didn't like what was for dinner tonight ... oh well ... there's always tomorrow night. My mom said "Eat what I make, I'm not a short order cook."
1951 boomer here. Agree with everything here, but would like to add something. In the 50s and 60s, cancer was a death sentence, people dropped dead of heart attacks in their 30-40s, our grandparents looked really OLD in their sixties and car crashes killed a lot of people that would be alive today with all the safety devices built into cars. Eating crappy food then and smoking more was also a big killer. I’m glad for today’s live saving technology, but miss the simple times of growing up as a boomer.
Thank you for stating those facts . Many co workers retiring in the mid 1970’s already had major health issues . Love them all great co workers that were of the years smoke drink all the time . Most died shortly after they retired . But all had great stories growing up in the 1930’ to through the 1960’s
And the world was actually a more dangerous place back then.
I would argue the food was healthier back then.
If you played Cowboys and Indians now the PC police would be at your door in one second.
Right, I was born in ‘57 and my little league baseball coach, who lived across the street from us, died of a heart attack at age 35 in 1966. His favorite food was Kentucky Fried Chicken. My dad was a high school science teacher, and in 1969 one of his teacher colleagues was murdered by a hitchhiker he had picked up…his body was found stuffed in the trunk of his car. And much of the country was racially segregated back then, too, and us kids and our parents had to deal with “bussing” as the government’s answer to make things more equitable. And race riots plagued the 1960s. So yes, the 1950s-1960s wasn’t as perfect as many Boomers portray it today.
I am a Boomer, born in 1953.
I agree about eating dinner as a family and this is something my family of four (Mom, Dad, me, younger brother) did most nights. We would talk about our day, gossip about the neighbors and talk about our plans for the upcoming day(s).
My dad worked in the aerospace industry and frequently had to work overtime. On those days my mom would sometimes take my brother and I out to dinner so she could have a break from cooking.
They were the best days growing up in the 60’s. So easy to follow in my mom’s footsteps. I was able to be a stay at home mom, not without sacrifice of course. 😊 always family meals together. I hope my kids follow in my footsteps.
Love these videos - I am a born-in-70 Gen-Xer and most of these applied to my growing up, too.
1961 here. What I recall, that is quite a change, is that the nuclear family only had one bread winner - the man.
The wife stayed home because the husband's salary was enough. The wife stayed home and was cleaning, cooking and caring for the kids.
Nowadays it's daycare for rhe kids because the mom has to work too so they can afford that new overpriced SUV, the wifi and a new 70" flatscreen.
I miss family dinner - my mom was a really good cook.
Putting women in the workplace essentially doubled available workers and therefore drove down wages to the point that husband and wife both had to work just to make ends meet. Thanks ladies...
Many families had ONE car. Pretty much EVERYONE had ONE TV. There were no such things as cell phones, cable TV, nobody had 3 or 4 TVs in the house," it was just different in so many ways.
@@josephgaviota Ah yes, I remember the one TV. And what was showing? Whatever Dad said it was. No argument.
Luckily my dad was a Mechanical Engineer, so he always wanted the new tech. We were the first on our block to get the colour TV.
And the first Microwave Oven. Batman IN COLOUR!
@@PJAvenger And as kids, WE were the remote control. Hey Joey, put it on Channel 2. I envy you for watching batman in color 🙂
@@josephgaviota 2, 4 or 7 - until it's The Wild World of Sports
In the segment on outdoor play, I also remember there were school clothes and play clothes. My mother would make me change clothes after school before allowing me outside to play. Both parents are deceased, but these videos reunite me with them... if only for 8 minutes or so.
Boy, that video was so spot on. It's sad for future generations
Boomer here. Actually, this video is not spot on. It's obvious he's not a boomer.
I agree with much of what you say, except for the starter home. A lot of boomer families rented cheaply until they could afford the down payment on a small house. Then you could expand that house or trade up the property ladder as your family grew. Today, newly married couples want the biggest, fanciest house even if they can’t afford it. That’s a big difference. Same with cars. We all started with beaters, and improved our ride over time. Not today. The workplace has also changed, so that having a job with one company and working your way to the top is impossible now. Workers can’t be blamed for that. I wish we could go back to the wild, free range kids we used to have. Physically fit, adventurous, and capable. Came home dirty, exhausted, and full of adventure stories for the dinner table. A hot bath, ring around the tub, mom scrubbing behind your filthy ears, and then eager for bed. Couldn’t wait to hit the sheets and get up early to do it all again.
Thanks Rec Road for the memories of a baby boomer!😎💯💥👍✌!
I'm a boomer and I remember when I got my first bike, that bike meant one thing to me Freedom , freedom to explore , freedom to wander, freedom to see friends who lived across town from me. In hindsight it was a wonderful time.
Yep. I agree with your analysis. I'm 76 and grew up in a small town in upstate New York. Such a different world back then...
growing up in a small town upstate NY versus growing up in Brooklyn or Queens downstate NY has always been diffenernt, regardless of the decade.
Excellent. 1942, 6 months after Pearl Harbour, living near San Francisco. I saw a lot of history on TV live. We were told the cean would never run out of fish. We did the Duck and Cover in primary school, Our refrigerator was an icebox, and our record player was a windup 78 with a horn. Later In 1959, I was 17 grade 11 and I dated a grade 10 girl 16. |When driving her home, she excitedly told me me her mother married at 16, and suggested we should tell her mother we just got married. She did, and her mother was going to hug me.
3:20 I fully agree, from the day we turned 15, _ALL_ we could think about was being 15-½ so we could get our learners permit, and DRIVE. My first vehicle was older than me, a '55 Chevy pickup I bought for $300-and drove for YEARS.
I graduated HS in 75' one of the first cars I looked at to buy was a 57' Ply. Fury. a 66' T-Bird, a 69' Charger. Ended up buying a 69' Ply Road Runner with a 383. My first actual car was a Hand me down 65' Barracuda.
Born in 1957. Loved growing up in the 60's and 70's. Out by time cartoons ended, came in when the street lights came on. No worries about anything.
Not a baby boomer, but an elder millennial. Of all the ideas listed, I could only fully agree with having dinner together as a family. I don't think some of the ideas listed as being "rejected" is very fair to the current/post-boomer generation. The perception of being constantly glued to smartphones and citing as examples the waiting room at a medical appointment and the DMV? These are not places where people are often in the mood to chat and socialize, boomers included. Isn't that the reason there are often magazines in the waiting rooms? Staring at your smartphone while waiting to be seen at an appointment is no different from reading a magazine. I am also fairly certain that the post-boomer generation is just as eager to own their own home/place and be independent (financially and otherwise) from their parents. The current housing market makes this goal basically impossible for the post-boomer generation. A "starter home" isn't some post-boomer generation fad; it is something sorely lacking in the current housing market thus making it difficult for the post-boomer generation to be able to be first time homeowners. When an average home costs upwards of 650k in some areas, how can you expect the post-boomer generation to not chase the higher income? I am sure many of the post-boomer generation would love to just settle for a job getting paid bimonthy with a pension if that job can actually provide an income that would enable them to be homeowners.
I'm Gen X, I'm cool right here in the middle. Doing it quietly while observing and learning. 🤙
Common sense and dialog are not dead. (I googled it) 😉
I was born in 1954 and agree with you 100%!
Thank you.
But doesn't explain why you see them walking down the street with their face glued to their phone.
I was raised on a farm.
Life was great.
Hunting fishing and exploring the woods and forest.
Going swimming at the local swimming hole.
Running around in the woods at night.
Laying in the middle of the road looking at the stars.
No cars around for miles.
When eating out ment we gathered around the picnic table in the back yard and had burgers off thr grill.
I am a lady born in 1949. We always had something to do, and it was usually free or cheap. Ths show was 25 cents, and we got two movies, cartoons, and previews of coming attractions. We found joy in associating with friends and cousins. The neighbors recognized every kid on the block, and they squealed on you to your parents if you did something wrong or put bandaids on you if you got hurt. We climbed trees and built tree houses. In the spring we cut wild asparagus and sold it door to door. Those were the days . . .
I'm 62 now, born in '62 and I miss those days of my childhood something fierce.
Both sexes played street hockey or softball together where the streets intersected, saving up paper route money for those banana seat bikes; street dances & swimming at the local pool in the summer, rotary dial phone in the kitchen with a long cord that extended to the back bedrooms, a K&B starter house with a crawl space to store your Christmas decorations, and roller skating (4 wheels) parties with rock & disco music in the mid-70s. I've been spending a bit too much time in the past recently I guess.
You didnt miss a thing & yes, bring it all back again! A video I'd recommend is showing how young people from the baby boomer gen and before had to respect their elders. That includes parents, grandparents, teachers, police, firemen, etc. Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed watching it. 😊
Wow, this was scathing! I’m not a boomer - Gen X here - but while I agree with a lot that you mentioned, I disagree with some of it. I’m not from the US, so I can’t comment on some of the points; however, where I live, owning a home is swiftly becoming a dream for most people. Housing prices are off the charts. I was lucky and managed to get into the market way before it left the rails. Where I live, you need to have an income of at least $130,000 a year in order to qualify for a mortgage - and the home you’ll get for that is pretty crappy. It is sad to know that my kids may never be able to own a home. Even rental prices are out of control. A one bedroom apartment costs on average $2000/month here. On top of that, paying off student loans has become a lifelong endeavour for some people. When I graduated university and got a job, the business of paying off my loans started. They weren’t paid off til I was 36. And I didn’t go to concerts because I couldn’t afford them. The housing market, cost of groceries, sky-high student loans etc are why a lot of people look for jobs that will pay them more and more - and why a lot of people end up back home with mom and dad. With what I was making with my job out of university (and I’m a teacher), I would not have been able to afford rent and paying back student loans if prices were like they are now. And the starting salary for teachers where I’m from hasn’t really improved a whole lot in the last 25 years. Sometimes, we lose the score and don’t think all the way through an argument with logic. Again, I can’t comment on the US cause I don’t live there. However, here, it is grim. Yes: we eat dinner together pretty much every night and I feel like I failed at something as a mom when we don’t eat dinner together. We tried to raise our daughter “free range”, but that came to a crashing halt with covid…as did the lack of screen time we were giving her. We have held onto some of the traditions from our boomer parents, but others were stolen from us. And it does make me sad: but I don’t blame the kids.
I am in US. Ditto.
I was born in 1947. Should have said something about: the Vietnam war and war protests, the "draftee's of the baby boom", the 1960's counter culture, 'the generation gap' (referring to the cultural differences between the WWII generation and the baby boomers) and the civil rights movement.
Printing photos and family albums is a lost art.
I was 9 yrs old in 1966 when my WW2 22yr Navy vet dad retired to Miami . $ 11,000 home and played in the woods and each summer was at the rec center for summer camp . Always outside unless it was raining all day . Cartoons Saturday morning. Delivered the newspaper by bike and cut lawns . I'm 67 now and dad would be happy how I turned out . I don"t have alot dad , but I have enough , he would always say . 1957
I’m 55 and can relate to everything in this video, I’m so glad I had a childhood like that. One huge improvement with life these days is online banking, bill paying and extended shopping hours, when I was a kid banks closed at 4pm Mon-Fri and stores closed at 12 noon on a Saturday and closed Sunday so I guess our parents had to be very organised, mind you we had checks to pay with if you missed the bank. Our parents didn’t drive us anywhere unless it was raining, we went everywhere on our bikes, no wonder we were skinny kids
This is one of my favorite channels on RUclips! Thank you for everything you create!!
Companies have done away with 2 week vacation (now lump vacation and sick time together....call it "pto" and often starts out as 5 days for the whole thing). Companies also did away with pensions. You can invest in an IRA yourself, but your retirement is not guaranteed if the market tanks.
Finally, if insurance is offered, it is often prohibitively expensive for the employee (my 30 yo daughter's insurance for self, husband and child was 1000.00 a month at previous job). That's insane. If companies would go back to offering vacation, pensions and affordable insurance, employees would stay. There is no incentive to do so, though. The employee is expendable, so why should they respond with loyalty?
I agree that we should be spending more time with each other, however, video games and smartphones came into being on OUR watch. So as a baby boomer, I have to wonder how much I added to what is wrong now.
I’m 1973 and often look back at my formative years in 1980s fondly. A lot of the boomer traits were still persevering then . Thanks for this channel!
Why on earth would i show loyalty to a company in this day and age
Legit question, but the answer is, depends on the company. There are some companies that believe in taking care of their people and providing a positive workplace environment and providing a good product. If you find one, the benefits are long term friendship at work and opportunities for internal promotion.
This video claims that Boomers worked for a single employer their entire lives. This is a terrible exaggeration. Many industries (radio, television, and appliance manufacturers, steel manufacturing, etc.) had already gone overseas by the time we entered our 20s. Not everything was rosy.
I had so much fun as a boomer kid. Around Halloween my friends and I would ride our "Raleigh" bikes through an old large cemetery late at night. I had a generator light on my bike so I was in the lead. Rats would be zooming by, the New England autumn leaves swirling around, expecting to see the Wolfman or Dracula around each corner, the shear terror of it all was exhilarating.
So so true. You hit the nail on the head with this video.
I am a late boomer (1960) & I definitely learned how to make it thru life! My hubby & I use cash more, except for large purchases or hotels on trips then its the credit card (but know when to stay with in our budget!). I have reverted back to paying bills by checks in the mail, balancing the checkbook evert week, using coupons & such to save $, stocking up when you can & cooking more at home (saving the eating out for trips & special occasions),... Many lessons learned from parents who lived on 1 income (daddy's) & watching mom making things stretch each week. These were valuable lessons to have learned & still are needed today!
I’m a baby boomer but this sounds a little “get off of my lawn” ish.
Born in 1951. You hit the nail on the head! Thanks.
I'm a Gen-Xer ('74) and I'm so glad my baby boomer parents instilled these qualities in my sister and me.
Very well said. Watching this video reminds me of how wise I remained through the years. I'm 62. Healthy active happy and Thankful that I grew up in the era in which morals and values were examples from our parents. My daughter and son, 38 and 34 were raised as I was. I gave up a bank job to be a mother. I cooked cleaned and grew veggies. I planted flowers I played outside with my children. I read books to them. No babysitters. Thanks to my parents for being wonderful examples. Today my grandchildren have devices and it's the way of the world. They are monitored but still it's different. I loved my growing up years and at this age I want to live like that again. So I simplified Weeded out things Gave things away sold a few things and kept the memories. If only...
Born June 1956; always had breakfast and dinner as a family unit. Knew everyone within a mile radius as a kid 8 to 18 yrs. Played everyday outside even if a foot of snow was everywhere. Today I never take a smart phone anywhere. A flip phone always. Most people are totally addicted to their smartphone and will panic without it! The 21st century sucks !
I knew people who panicked during the pandemic who forgot their masks.
I use my smartphone for my grocery list and that’s about all I use it for.
It’s discussed the freedom my GF now wife of nearly 50 years got while in High School when I was able to get a job and car. My parents were typical of the time “ if you wanted something well you’d better work for it”! Neighborhoods were very important too, you learned to deal with all types of people right there in your neighborhood.
People are working hard harder than ever and they have almost nothing. The game is rigged. I’m 60 and it’s 10 times harder to get by than it was when I was in my 20s
1956 here. I started making my own money when I was 10, at 15 I was selling Fuller brush door to door. At 17 I bought a brand new car and bought my first house at 23.
1953 here. I had a paper route (60 customers) at age 10. Worked for a live bait company (2 evenings, Sat. & Sun.) at age 12. A variety of summer jobs throughout high school. Licensed at 16 and bought my first used car from my older brother at 17. Began a career with a major international manufacturing company at age 19 and acquired my business degree and two professional certifications through night school over the next 11 years, and the company paid all the education costs. Bought my first house with my fiance (6 months before we were married) at age 24 and paid the house off at age 32, just before our first child was born. I have twin niece and nephew who are now 26 and they have both just started their very first jobs.
@chrisgraham2904 I guess we boomers just had more drive. We knew if you wanted something you had to work for it. So we did, today young people want e everything, but want mom and dad to pay for it.
Do you still work for Fuller? They have some great products.
@hewitc No, I left in 1974 and went off to college. I worked my way through school in the car business.
With a $12 an hour job try buying a $50,000 car and a $400,000 home add the number is it doesn’t work anymore. You’re the people who don’t want minimum wage to go up. It’s not hard to understand we get almost nothing anymore.
Excellent video! Sums up what we are all thinking!
We bought groceries and cooked and ate at home
I still do that. I can’t bear restaurant food. 🤮
And people weren't overweight.
My parents paid $27,000 for their house in 1964. Today that house can be listed for over $1,000,000.
Dinner was on the table at 6:00 because dad demanded it be there even after mom working all day,too. But it was consistent.
Lots of "dads" demanded too much too often. It may have been the way things were back then but wrong just the same.
I went to my cousin's wedding around 2014, where we were seated with her friend, the friend's husband, and their two young school age children. They all pulled out screen devices and *refused* to participate in any conversation. I felt it was rude not to at least try to converse.
And I've heard a few younger people complain that Boomers should give up their houses so their generation can have them. I can still mow my lawn, take care of my yard, and make small repairs. We worked HARD to get those houses. We're not leaving them til we must.
But I'm liking Gen Z. All that stuff you said about the younger generation that expects everything handed to them- I don't see that. I see a lot of hard workers who work smarter, not harder, and want a good work/ life balance. There's always a few weasels in every generation, ours as well.
Thank you for making sense and not being trapped in nostalgia.
I have neighbors and others I know that are the same way. They can't carry on a conversation with you without getting on their phones. It's so rude. They would rather do that than to have conversation with another person. I hate it.
And boy are some of the Zoomers a lot smarter and savvier much quicker than we Boomers ever were when it comes to the corporate world. I love watching Veronica on YT occasionally.
Thank you so much for this. The retro pictures alone are worth it!
As a kid in 1970s, if you told your parents you wanted to go to another room in the house to eat dinner by yourself, they would have thought something was seriously wrong with you. But today, that’s perfectly normal.
As a kid in the 70s I ate anywhere I wanted to. Where did you grow up? Catholic school?
@@DanaTheInsane No, at home. We also ate together as a family in the 70s until the kids were in high school activities & part-time jobs. But still ate in the kitchen when we came home.
I was born in 1953. Watching your videos never fails to put a tear in my eyes.
i love this channel, it always brings back good memories for me. you really hit the nail on the head with this episode lol.
I giggled all the way through this video. Nice to know that you keep your knives sharpened.
Right from the beginning dinner time needs to come back. In fact, I'm keeping/saving this video! Neighborhood parties are also gone. We don't even know our neighbours unless we need help. Because I have a physical limitation most neighbours in the 15 storey building where I live know me. But still, we need balance in our today's society. It's heartbreaking to see dinner table empty.
Very good presentation!
Daily meals w family was so important in our family, my grandparents would even come over at least once a month for Sunday dinner back in the 1960's
As a baby boomer, when I was first on my own, I used the envelope system to budget my money. There was an envelope for every spending category and I wrote how much money went into every envelope. You quickly learned that if you overspent in one category, another would end up suffering in another. It was a great lesson in finances.
I was born in 1958. Lived on a 40 acre farm. As kids up in the yard with sheds and detached buildings we played hide and seek. Everyone remembers the slip and slides back then. Until I saved up enough for a real one I would put a long green sheet of plastic on the lawn with the water hose running on it and just slide across it on a hot day. The latter 60s. What Memories.
Your REALLY nailed it with this one!!!
I like all of these. But to be fair, many doctor and dentist offices no longer have magazines in the waiting rooms. So phones are the only option.
I usually bring my own magazine with me. One that I enjoy, as usually the Dr office or Dental doesn't have anything that interests me. Not hard to bring reading material with you.
I never read in waiting rooms. I people watch, it's much more interesting.
This was a great one. So true about everything. You didnt even have to be asked or wait to be told to help. You hust knew you had to do , you did it and you then went abouty your day
Food used to require work and families were grateful to have it if your parents grew up in the great depression. You sat at the table and gave thanks. My dad always reminded us that his family only had meat on Sunday !
On the cusp between Boomer and Gen X. I don’t remember people who deliberately chopped off their genitals and said they were not the gender they were born as.
Does that bother you? Don't do it. I believe doctors are involved in the chopping.
Late Boomer here, I didn't remember anyone either, but I've seen people from my school on Classmates who aren't the same sex anymore that they were when we were in school together. Weird for me to contemplate because I just can't wrap my head around any of that.
Thank you!