Some things have changed since my childhood

Once upon a time, when I was a child.

We couldn't place crank calls because we had to go through an operator.

.....now the problem is call display.

- Young ladies had to wear hats to church.

.....now few young ladies go to church hats or not.

- I unsuccessfully begged my mother to buy Wonder Bread. 

.....now we search out "designer" bread.

-We thought all things American were good.

.....we cross the border with at least a small sense of dread.

-Tap water was the norm to fill water glasses.

.....water comes in fancy bottles.

-Milk was delivered in appealing bottles.

.....we drive the car to pick up boxes of milk.

-When we came home from school we changed from our school clothes to play clothes.

.....school clothes and play clothes are one and the same. Besides few kids play outside.

-When a parent called the doctor, the house was filled with a hushed sense of doom.

.....doctors don't call. We go to clinics.

-A dime was a big deal in a world of pennies.

.....the death knell has been rung for the copper. There isn't any penny candy anyway.

-Grass was grass. Weed was a weed. The fathers spent much time and effort trying to eliminate the    
weeds.

.....Now grass and weed are an evil, a recreation or a occupation for both the growers and the police.

-We brushed our teeth with tooth powder.
.....it takes some time to choose the appropriate toothpaste.

-Our mothers hadn't discovered casseroles. Spaghetti was exotic.
.....now we can't pronounce the names of many things we eat.

-Going out for dinner was a grand event.
.....sitting down to a home cooked meal is not always the norm.

-Nurses were visions of crisp whit cotton.
.....it is difficult to figure out which person is the nurse.

-There were no seat belts.
.....we lucked out when we could stand on the hump in the middle of the back floor.

-Stupid, idiot and shut up were the bad words.
.....it is doubtful our mothers would even recognize the bad words today.

-Sweaters, mitts, scarves were knit of wool.
.....now these are mostly made of recycled pop bottles.

-When we drove an aunt to the aeroport she wore a corsage, got flight insurance from a machine, walked out to the aeroplane across the tarmac.
.....now we drop our friends off and wave as they drag their suitcases through the moving doors.

-We always had to have a clean hanky in our pocket.
.....kleenex is available  almost everywhere.

-We had to stand when our parents friends entered a room.
.....now our parents' friends are our friends.

-Polishing shoes was a weekly task.
.....who polishes their shoes?

-Small English Canadian children's skill at french was limited to Frere Jacque.
..... many small children are at least bilingual.

-Boys had hammers and girls had aprons.
.....Boys and girls have neither.

tbc