Back Then

     When we compare the way it was back then when we were young to the way it is now when our grandchildren are growing up,  some things seem better now while others seem to have been better then.  Each generation has a different kind of childhood.
     Back then, most moms were housewives while the dads went to work.  Divorce was uncommon, and single-parent families were rare.  Children walked to school, and neighborhoods seemed quite safe.  We amused ourselves with indoor and outdoor games, rode bikes, and roller skated.  Girls played with dolls and wanted to be like mom.  We listened to the radio and the record player.  Birthday parties were simple affairs with Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Musical Chairs.
     Women weren't encouraged to work outside the home.  Girls seldom learned any sports.  To write a school report, we had to use the card catalog.  Not many people flew or traveled extensively.  Without many immunizations, children got the measles, mumps, chicken pox, and polio.
     What we have now we didn't have then.  What we had then will never be again.