Baby Boomer - Maybe?

It depends upon the information you are reading. Truly, the 1943s [me] were born during a time of baby population increase. The babies born in the following years and who grew up during the 50s and 60s lived during a period of almost 180 degree change in American life and lifestyle.

Family involvement was most of our entertainment during the 40s and early 50s. Cousins visited back and forth during the summer and we went to grandpa and grandma's after church on Sunday. Every season I had a new "Sunday" dress and shoes. These were strictly for Sunday and were quickly removed as soon as you got back home. "Everyday" clothes were those that were a bit too small or were not good enough to wear to school.

The record player was a big deal at our house. It was combined with a pull-out radio in a lovely cabinet that sat in the dining room. We first had 78s and I remember singing along with Tennessee Waltz and Mockingbird Hill. I'm sure today's children would think I was crazy. We also had one kid's record that told us to "march around the room", then "skip around the room", then "run around the room." No wonder mom had a door between the kitchen and dining room! We also played Polka music - good and loud. As a teenager, 45s became our life. Elvis and The Everly Brothers were my favorites. Records often came in colors during those days.

I remember the Sunday night that Elvis was first on the Ed Sullivan Show. Anyone reading this, who also saw it, knows they showed Elvis from the waist up. None of that wiggling and jiggling on Sunday night TV.

Full skirts became the style of the times. I first had one crinoline that puffed the circled skirts. But soon I complained to mom that I needed another. It had to be fuller and make the skirts puff out more. To keep them stiff we put the crinolines in starch and hung them to dry. Also you could put them in gelatin and they'd dry really stiff. Of course, you wanted yours to be the most fluffy and stiff.

At the same time, extremely slim, straight skirts were also in style. They were long and we wore them with bobby sox and loafers or white bucks or flats. It depended upon the time. [I note the young girls are wearing flats that look exactly like those I wore during the 50s.] When I was very young - you guessed it - everyone wore saddle shoes.

Girls were not allowed to wear pants or jeans to school. Even when I went to college, we had to wear skirts.

During my junior year of high school I started to school wearing a brand new plaid, pleated skirt and crop top. The skirt was the new style. Short. [Shorter than had been the style, anyway.]

My English teacher confronted me about my short skirt. It stopped directly at the middle of my knee.

The girls in my high school drove their parents' cars. Most of the boys had their own cars that they decorated with dice and fluff. It seems 50s Chevrolets remain favorite classics of many of those same guys.

Small schools abounded in rural areas. At that time we heard our parents discuss consolidating schools, but it seemed far in the future to us. Boys and girls basketball, softball and baseball kept everyone playing and cheering for the hometown teams.

Our parents grew big gardens and we grew up in large families during the 40s. We learned to work hard and respect our elders. Going to church was not an option. Sunday came and we went.

Money was not an issue. We didn't know about Nikes and trendy tops. We did know about holes in jeans - our mother's patched them. The kid who tore holes in his knees the first time he wore his brand new jeans was stuck with them until they were too small.

Entertainment was playing cards with family or maybe board games. We didn't have a TV until I was about eight years old. And that honker, black and white, was so special we'd sit and watch the test pattern waiting for a program to come on.

For most things, I'm so glad we've moved on. I still don't know if I'm a "boomer" or not. But my siblings can truly claim the title! Because there were about twelve years between my youngest brother and me, his story would be much different.

Yes, my growing up years were part of a more innocent era. Living was simpler. Thankfully today, basic life is not one physical struggle after the other. [This is true for most woman.] Birth control is readily available, electric appliances eliminate the need of cooking with cobs or wood and the laundry doesn't have to be put the wringer on washday.

My grandma always hated wash day. I wish she could have enjoyed a matching stack up washer and dryer. She would have loved it!