Things today's kids missed out on

[bedazzLED]

IBM 029 card punch machines and having to 'punch' your programming code out on cards, then feeding them into a card hopper to be processed; no terminals.

Assembly programming.

And one that I definitely wish I could forget but can't, the leather strap on the back of the classroom door (and the pain it could inflict as it struck across the palm of your hand if you were 'lucky' enough to cop it!).

 

[jtr1962]

Re: Worst one of all!

Hard work isn't appreciated. Loyalty isn't appreciated. And by the time kids these days are old enough to retire, the word "pension" is going to be a concept that will confuse the Hell out of their grand-children.

All those are reasons why I would never work for someone else again. Nowadays workers seem to be regarded as simply an expense to be minimized. Eventually most will be replaced by robots. And CEOs rarely think past the next quarter.

As for retirement, last I checked with my mom's friend who did some financial planning on the side, he said based on my investments and the likely rates of return, I could look forward to being able to retire when I'm 156. In other words, I'll be working in my own business until the day I die. I'm gathering it's going to be pretty much the same for most others, whether an employee or self-employed. Pensions are gone, IRAs and 401Ks will likely give lousy returns, Social Security is going broke, rising costs of the basics plus low salaries prevent saving anything meaningful. My knee jerk reaction is at first to mourn the loss of retirement. Thinking about it some more, however, it's really a return to normalcy. For most of man's existence he basically had to work in some way until he either died or became too infirm to work ( and this led to death in short order anyway ).

 

[guardpost3]

Camping!

I live on 135 acres and have family with land all over Maine, so I have not been to an actual "campground" in years. Well some distant relatives were in the area and invited my wife and I to join them for the weekend.

I could not believe my eyes, mostly big campers with electricity and heat and every other thing you could want IN YOUR HOUSE. Not many campfires, if there was one, it was just to look at. The adults talked on their cell phones and worked on their laptops while the kids watched movies and played video games!

When I go camping I like the outdoors, and I like not being connected to anything. I taught my kids, just like I learned from my dad, how to build a fire and how to cook with it. How to pitch a tent and so on and so on.... Is that all gone now?

Its a good thing my kids didn't see that or they would be asking to go "camping" like that.

 

[TedTheLed]

bedazzled; is that really true? you poor thing.

ok, just wanted to say that, but since I'm here,

toys that buiid things, I guess there are still tinker toys

but what about erector sets? and Gilberts chem lab in that red box?

or anyrhing that isn't doesn't end in 'box' or 'game' or 'deathmatch'

for that matter.

kites. has that been said?

 

[Burgess]

Kites, you say ? ? ?


I'm 57 years old.

I can still remember one magical day, perhaps 50 years ago . . . .

I wanted to fly a kite, but we didn't HAVE one.

My previous kite had "escaped", and traveled to far-off, distant lands.




So, my father stated he would MAKE me a kite ! ! !

What ? (said i)

You can actually MAKE a kite ? ? ?


And my father proceeded to Construct the frame from thin sticks.

And then, get this . . . .

He covered the frame with NEWSPAPER ! ! !

:wow:


Some string and Scotch Tape, and . . . .


Presto -- a real, honest-to-goodness Kite ! ! !

:goodjob:


Nope, it wasn't the Pretty Colored paper, which the store kits had.
(memo for you youngsters--this was before the days of plastic)

But it certainly FLEW just as well as its fancier cousins. :thumbsup:


And, best of All . . . .

I was REALLY proud, cuz' my Father had MADE it ! ! !


So proud that he knew how to Make a Kite ! ! !

:twothumbs

He told me (as a child) they Never bought a kite from a Store !

They'd always Build 'em.


This, i fear, is yet another thing Today's Kid's missed out on.


PS: this is a Great Thread !

lovecpf
_

 

[ninemm]

Burgess you're story brought a smile to my face. I hope one day when I have kids I can create a memory for them that sticks as well as the one your dad crafted for you. :thumbsup:

Oh, and this is definitely a great thread.

 

[m3flies]

Dialing a phone. Tangled phone cords. When a phone rang, it was actually a small "bell" inside the phone being struck.

 

[mossyoak]

95 percent of these posts show just how out of touch you are with todays youth. and honestly if you think they are true then its more of a failure on the previous generations part than on the kids.

 

[LuxLuthor]

Making your own Go-Kart, and it not being a problem driving it around your neighborhood.

My dad made one with us kids out of a sheet of plywood set on a rectangular angle iron frame. It had such a wide turning radius you had to get out and manually swing the end around at the end of the street. It had a wood box seat, and wood steering wheel. Simple gas engine was canibalized from a lawn mower, as were hard rubber tires.

It was awsome. Especially when we figured out how to remove the governor.

 

[Monocrom]

Re: Worst one of all!

. . . My knee jerk reaction is at first to mourn the loss of retirement. Thinking about it some more, however, it's really a return to normalcy. For most of man's existence he basically had to work in some way until he either died or became too infirm to work ( and this led to death in short order anyway).

In this modern age, it would be expected that progress had at least led us to the point where workers weren't regarded as serfs. Normal tends to vary as well. In other developed nations, it's normal for workers to take months off a year for vacation.

Thankfully, some things have indeed changed. Folks are no longer stuck in one social class, forced to work the earth just to eck out a living based on surviving day-to-day.

Also, it is no longer necessary to pick one profession and hope it works out for the rest of one's life. Nowadays, going back to school is an option for many. Trade schools, and institutes offer accelerated programs. Some of which don't require college credits.

Ironically, that's one positive thing today's kids will miss out on. (Not being able to make a decent living if they initially choose the wrong profession.)

 

[calipsoii]

95 percent of these posts show just how out of touch you are with todays youth. and honestly if you think they are true then its more of a failure on the previous generations part than on the kids.

This seems like a really negative thing to say in a nostalgia thread, which is usually just created to slip on the rose-tinted goggles and have a bit of fun. A lot of things in here, kids WON'T remember. Take lawn darts. They were banned in 1988. Considering 18-yr olds were born in 1992, even young ADULTS these days don't remember them. So the title is true: "Things today's kids missed out on".

On the other hand, if you dislike some of the criticisms towards the lack of responsibility and courtesy in today's youth, they aren't exactly out in left field either. Pop by a college or university in your free time and peer into the classroom. You know what you'll see? Half the class with an iPod earphone jammed in one ear while the professor is trying to teach. Or next time you're in a retail store, ask the cashier about people texting while they pay for their goods. I've seen stores with signs: "No texting while paying for your debit order" because there ARE younger people who see absolutely no issue in finishing a text message before pulling out their debit card, all in front of a line-up of people waiting to be served.

The things being said in this thread aren't untrue or uncommon. There will be another of these threads in a decade and the details will change but it'll still sound the same: nostalgia was way more fun back in the day.

Back on topic:
- "structurally unsound" treehouses (not a box set from Costco)
- lawn darts (still have mine)
- getting the strap in elementary school
- fireworks sold at gas stations
- "gas wars" where people would drive 100km to save less than they spent getting there
- being able to get peanuts with your McDonalds hot fudge sundae (recent one, but a sign of the times)

 

[ninemm]

- being able to get peanuts with your McDonalds hot fudge sundae (recent one, but a sign of the times)

At the McD's next to where I work I can still get peanuts with a hot fudge sundae. They don't offer them at some places anymore?

 

[mossyoak]

This seems like a really negative thing to say in a nostalgia thread, which is usually just created to slip on the rose-tinted goggles and have a bit of fun. A lot of things in here, kids WON'T remember. Take lawn darts. They were banned in 1988. Considering 18-yr olds were born in 1992, even young ADULTS these days don't remember them. So the title is true: "Things today's kids missed out on".

On the other hand, if you dislike some of the criticisms towards the lack of responsibility and courtesy in today's youth, they aren't exactly out in left field either. Pop by a college or university in your free time and peer into the classroom. You know what you'll see? Half the class with an iPod earphone jammed in one ear while the professor is trying to teach. Or next time you're in a retail store, ask the cashier about people texting while they pay for their goods. I've seen stores with signs: "No texting while paying for your debit order" because there ARE younger people who see absolutely no issue in finishing a text message before pulling out their debit card, all in front of a line-up of people waiting to be served.

The things being said in this thread aren't untrue or uncommon. There will be another of these threads in a decade and the details will change but it'll still sound the same: nostalgia was way more fun back in the day.

Back on topic:
- "structurally unsound" treehouses (not a box set from Costco)
- lawn darts (still have mine)
- getting the strap in elementary school
- fireworks sold at gas stations
- "gas wars" where people would drive 100km to save less than they spent getting there
- being able to get peanuts with your McDonalds hot fudge sundae (recent one, but a sign of the times)

Considering the fact that I go to college five days a week, I can say that you are terribly off base, at least around these parts, true we might have a nasty hangover from the night before but we address our professors as sir and ma'am. and we leave the ipods in the car

 

[John_Galt]

Typewriters...

What a wonderful sound, the clickin, clacking symphony of one's thoughts being put on paper (and having to get it right the first time, too!)...

What an amazing thing, this tangled machine full of levers, screws, bolts, and ink tape, and its ability to teach proper typing. Such an amazing thing, that creates a uniform line of text.


I'm not even old enough to have to have to have used one, but I still like to pull ours out of the attic once in a while to just listen to.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Considering the fact that I go to college five days a week, I can say that you are terribly off base, at least around these parts, true we might have a nasty hangover from the night before but we address our professors as sir and ma'am. and we leave the ipods in the car

Mossyoak -

As someone else said, this thread is for nostalgia's sake. As you get older you will learn that life moves in repeating patterns - the names change, the gadgets get more complicated, society's tastes and sensibilities grow and mature. This discussion is about the recognition of things that are forever changed from the 'old days' because of these forces. This is neither good or bad; society must evolve and change. We are simply paying homage to those things that we wish had stuck around a little longer.

 

[Empath]

Considering the fact that I go to college five days a week, I can say that you are terribly off base, at least around these parts, true we might have a nasty hangover from the night before but we address our professors as sir and ma'am. and we leave the ipods in the car

You still consider yourself a kid?

 

[mossyoak]

You still consider yourself a kid?

Ill never grow up

And i really like to hear about "how it used to be" but it really gets under my skin when people start talking about how todays youth are total slackers and have no respect for anyone, basically all the stereotypes you would think were true if you assumed that the media reports the truth without spin.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Typewriters...

What a wonderful sound, the clickin, clacking symphony of one's thoughts being put on paper (and having to get it right the first time, too!)...

What an amazing thing, this tangled machine full of levers, screws, bolts, and ink tape, and its ability to teach proper typing. Such an amazing thing, that creates a uniform line of text.


I'm not even old enough to have to have to have used one, but I still like to pull ours out of the attic once in a while to just listen to.

I agree, there's something wonderfully tactile about using a typewriter. The sharp clackety-clack adds it's own punctuation to your words, seemingly adding to their importance as each letter is loudly stamped into the paper. The sound of a typewriter brings to mind every old movie that centered around a newspaper office, where the fedora-topped, cigarette chomping reporters slaved away to beat their deadline.

 

[chew socks]

I'm only 17 but i still have those "i remember when..." moments too :nana:.

How many of you remember back to when you had to practically wrestle the bills into a self service machine's bill slot? Im still amazed at how much of a fold over you can have the and the machine doesn't care. AND you dont have to worry about that "upside down" and "backwards" nonesense while your folding it up.

YAY for technology!!!


also, im sure almost everyone here remembers dial up internet...:hairpull:

...my poor kids will never have to wait several minutes for one picture to load

 

[guardpost3]

Ill never grow up

And i really like to hear about "how it used to be" but it really gets under my skin when people start talking about how todays youth are total slackers and have no respect for anyone, basically all the stereotypes you would think were true if you assumed that the media reports the truth without spin.

I dont believe at all that todays youth are total slackers, or any less ambitious than any kids before. I do think however, that they just lack the tact of how to go about being successful. I work in a high security facility and part of my job is briefing all new hires on our security protocols. This is the first thing they do when they start here and I am the first person they see to walk them into the facility. Most kids younger than me (I just turned 26) are late, poorly dressed, and have a "slack" attitude (and this is there first day of work). Most of them wash out in a month or so. I almost think some of them think a job should not be hard. I started out at the bottom and busted my but to get where I am, being assertive with my work and looking people in the eye and giving a nice firm handshake. I see this less and less lately. I dont know what the cause of it is, todays society, maybe its their parents, or maybe our HR department just needs better recruiters.