23. Ah, the 50's.

 Recently my friend Susie invited me to join a face book site, "Growing up in Pomona, California."  It really wasn't a bad place to grow up.  We recently watched "American Graffiti" for the upteenth time and laughed about the crazy things they did.  Bob swears that he either did or saw all the things in the movie and you know, I believe he did.  It was a time when kids could be free, at least a little bit free.  It isn't so easy now.  There seem to be so many things that frighten us.  

I swear I don't remember anyone I knew that did drugs.  Oh there was a few drinks on prom night, now it's heroine.  I watched a frightening segment on teens and marijuana and the fact that low grade heroin is cheaper than the marijuana.  Teen are also under the impression that the heroin is less adictive.  You finally get them to the age that you can let them go to school without worrying too much about them getting kidnapped and now...welcome to the world and worry of drugs!  Raising ours when we did was tough enough.  When our last one walked across the stage and got his diploma Bob and I cheered, REALLY cheered and quoted Martin Luther King.  "Free at last, free at last, praise God Almighty, free at last!"

Our teen years were truely carefree.  What to wear to the dance at the YMCA after the game on Friday, that was a big thing.  If he would ask you out for Saturday night.  That's another thing.  Who can afford to go the movies?  Even matinee and senior discounts are almost too much now a days.  We really have to think about if a movie is really big screen worthy.  That is a gamble for sure!  Going to the movies is really one of my favorite things to do.  How can kids afford a movie and popcorn?  What else can they do on date night?  Do they still go to the drive-in?

Remember the drive-in in the late 50's?  Remember the guys in the white coats who walked around with flashlights (especially in those last rows) checking to make sure you were really watching the movie?  Heaven help you if the windows were fogged up.  Remember when cars had trunks big enough to hide a couple of kids so you could save a buck or two on admission?  We really were rascals!

Then there were the Chinese Firedrills.  Oh come on, surely you remember those.  You pulled up to a stop sign and someone yelled, "Chinese Firedrill" and everyone jumped out and ran around the car and got in a different seat!  Wow, crazy days for sure!

I'm thankful for those days, really thankful.  I hope our children can look back with fondness on their school days, I really do, but they will have to go a ways to compete with ours.