Lucky to be born in the '50s
I do not have a bad memory of my childhood.
The respect that we had for our parents, the teachers and the police. The freedom to play in the street, feel safe and appreciate that the food my parents put on the table was lovingly prepared and worked hard for.
The best part of my memories, however, is that every night we all sat around the dining table eating and talking about our day — Dad at the head of the table, Mum to his right. We never had much in the way of material possessions however, with both parents having to work to support five kids, we always knew that we had good food, washed and ironed mostly homemade clothes, and a tidy house.
The other thing, among many, is that we made our old fun. The dunny out the back - torchlight at night, of course, to go, playing rounders in the street with the other neighbourhood kids, football and cricket in the big back yard and knowing our boundaries in relation to the expectations of what our parents wanted.
Like, be home before dark, when you get home from school, get changed immediately out of your uniform and have a little to eat and not go out to play until our homework was done... with a reprieve on Friday as we had the whole weekend to do it.
I do feel for the kids of today as our lives were so much fun...hardship but never expecting anything and only getting gifts on our birthdays or at Christmas and one Easter egg.
I would not change a thing.
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