Over years of conversations with my wife, we frequently seem to visit a certain topic: Things that the older generation did that the newer generation will probably never do.
For instance, the other day I asked my wife, "Would you EVER think to eat grapefruit for breakfast? Like, you just wake up and think I'll have grapefruit today?"
She said, "My mom probably would."
I said, "Would anyone that you know who is under the age of 40 eat grapefruit for breakfast?"
We couldn't think of anyone. Getting squirt in the eye by grapefruit used to be a classic comedy bit. And we have conversations along these lines about how popular "hot water bottles" used to be. You could frequently see people in your favorite prime time shows breathing into a paper bag because they were hyperventilating or tying their jaw with a strip of fabric to remedy a toothache. Kids today would probably not respond well to such things. What happened to the requisite episode of EVERY television show where one of the stars has their tonsils removed with the promise of ice cream afterward?
Do people still say: "Get your cotton-pickin' hands off me!" Maybe in the south?
It's strange to think how many sayings and behaviors will not be passed from grandparent to grandkid. Things that seem so common place to the older folks will seem like a bizarre inside reference to kids. My wife tells me how her grandmother would always bring them broken little crayon nubs to color with when her and her siblings were young, because she grew up in the depression era and didn't want to waste anything that still had some use in it. Grandma carries that attribute to this day.
We should discuss this further over some malted milk shakes. Then we'll go to grandma's for some ribbon candy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I'm down - but only if it comes from the soda shoppe, I've always wanted to try one of those Black Cows, or is it Brown Cow drinks? Which reminds me of another thing we don't do any more - which is drink seltzer water when our tummy hurts or take coke syrup.
Yeah, there's a ton of them. Remember taking a spoonful of granulated sugar to cure the hiccups? Do kids still say "Bloody Mary" in the mirror to summon ghosts?
J eats grapefruit for breakfast. Try it with salt (seriously, it's not bad)
My kids did the bloody Mary thing...
How about night games like Kick the Can or Capture the Flag...
Grapefruit for breakfast with salt is great---I am on a fire outside of HOOPA---I met you mother's cousin while I was trying to findout where her final resting place is---I plan to stop there on my way home.
that bloody mary thing STILL scares me - I remember doing it in the bathroom in kindergarten with only the red emergency light on cause i couldn't reach the other light switch.
I have never, would never do the bloody mary thing. I am much too freaked out by that thought.
Hehe... at least the ribbon candy carries on in my family. :) It took forever to find, but now my kids know the joy that is super-old-school candy, too. :)
Breaks my heart to know how much won't get passed on, though....
Post a Comment