This is the way I was raised…. And so were my kids..

This is the way I was raised…. And so were my kids..     

I read this somewhere..  and I copied it…  and changed out the city and state, as it applied to my hometown as well..   Those of you over the age of 60 remember this well..

 

I grew up in a little town in Rhode Island called Middletown… . It was during a time, when everyone treated each other like Family. We went outside to play, we got dirty.... We bought chips & candy from the corner store. We played Red Light, Green Light, Kick the Can, Simon Says, Hide and Seek, Dodge Ball, Red Rover, Baseball, Softball and Football. We could ride our bikes to the store, or the park, or down a country road and stay all day. We even swam in the pond or lake when we had the chance. We ate beans & hot dogs, mac and cheese & peanut butter sandwiches. We walked or rode a bikes everywhere and never worried about safety. We never thought to lock our windows or doors at night. We had chores to do around the house, We weren't AFRAID OF ANYTHING, 'cept our parents. If you fell down you would just get back up. We challenged each other everywhere...King of the hill. If someone had a fight, that's what it was...a fight. Kids weren't afraid of fake guns when I grew up. Real guns were just a part of life and we respected them as well as our parents, our teachers, the American flag, the principal AND God. We said the Pledge of Allegiance every time we went to school. We left our houses as soon as we could in the morning and right after school till our neighbors would yell out for their children as a reminder to get in the house for the night. If one kid was called for dinner then we all knew to go home. We watched our mouths around our elders because we knew If we DISRESPECTED any adult there would be a price to pay and we had manners and respect otherwise someone else's parents put you in your place. I would not trade anything for the childhood we had, for we had enough and we had love and all that made us the adults we are today.

I will never forget where I came from in R.I.  but most of all I am glad I grew up in the 1940’s and 1950/s