How Old Is Grandma?

**daddys3chicks** · 01-10-2005, 08:49 AM

My Mom (who is 84) sent this to me. I thought it spoke in many ways to why so many of us are seeking simplicity in our lives.

HOW OLD IS GRANDMA?

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end - it will blow you away.

One evening, a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events.

The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings at
schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

The Grandma replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before television,
penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill..

There were no credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens. Man had not
invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and the
clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man had yet to walk on the moon.

Your Grandfather and I got married first and then lived together. Every family had
a father and a mother. Until I was 25, I called every man older than I, "Sir"- - and
after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."

We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, day-care centers, and
group therapy.

Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common
sense.

We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand
up and take responsibility for our actions.

Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege.

We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.

Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.

Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors when the evening
breeze started.

Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and
weekends - not purchasing condominiums! .

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt,
or guys wearing earrings.

We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.
And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk.

The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam. Pizza Hut, McDonald's,
and instant coffee were unheard of.

We had 5&10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.

Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.

And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail
one letter and two postcards.

You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? Too bad because,
gas was 11 cents a gallon.

In my day, "grass" was mowed, "coke" was a cold drink, "pot" was something your mother
cooked in, and "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.

"Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,"chip" meant a piece of wood, "hardware" was
found in a hardware store and software" wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.

No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.

And how old do you think grandma is???

Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.

This is something to think about. How time has changed....

SCROLL DOWN FOR ANSWER

Grandma is 58 (born 1946)

How could so much go wrong in such a short time?

**guest2** · 01-10-2005, 11:26 AM

Wow! That puts thing into perspective doesn't it. "Grandma" in this case is younger than my own mother.

**Makat2u** · 01-10-2005, 07:00 PM

My mother would of been 58 now.

**Jayne** · 01-10-2005, 07:14 PM

How could so much go wrong in such a short time?

**Kimmomo3** · 01-10-2005, 07:30 PM

You could also look on the good side, and see that we now HAVE quite a few good things happen over the years. Women and African Americans have more rights, and freedom. More diseses(sp?) are gone or easier to treat. Our life spans are longer.

"And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby"

And if someone got preg. in those days you were locked in a potentally bad marriage, or were branded as a "fallen woman" or had a dangerous abortion.

And "grandma's" generation is the one who made pot, coke, and rock and roll more popular, or at least in the main stream.

I am all for nostalgia, but let us not forget that not EVERY thing was better in the "good ol' days" just like not everything is worse now.

We need to take the good from history and use it. And take the bad from history and learn from it so we don't do it again, or see where we went wrong and change it.