Things most have now that we didn’t have

NotAGran55

We didn’t have a car until I was 13.

Far too young to be driving!

The word ‘respect’ is bandied about a lot now, but I don’t think there is much respect really.

As a child of the 50’s, you ‘respected’ your parents, older relatives and older people in general.

You certainly respected your teachers, policemen, vicars, doctors, bank managers, in fact most people in positions of authority.

Wasn’t aware of your ‘rights’, but it didn’t seem such an issue back then.

Life just seemed so much simpler.

What we don’t have now is twice weekly bin collections. We had one metal bin, kept in an outside cellar, and due to the collections, mentioned above, it was enough for the three of us. Of course we didn’t have all the packaging that we have now.
We don’t have twice daily mail delivery like we had in the fifties!
Like many others, I didn’t live in a house with an inside toilet, or bath until I was sixteen. We had a paraffin stove to heat each of the two rooms. The kitchen sink was for everything, and no hot water tap, just the kettle on the two ring gas cooker. When we left that house in 1964, though there were twenty four families in the four tenement block, there was only one car.
We’ve seen massive changes.

I notice only one person mentioned not having a television. As a child that was more noticeable to me than the labour saving devices that helped my DM with the housework.
Some things will also depend, not just on financial background, but how old the poster is. 1940s born grans would have a lot less than 1960s born grans.

In the 1950’s at junior school DH was asked what was the best thing he had in his house he replied electric lights! They had just been installed.
Our first house 1890 had the only lavatory down the garden, the council did put a bathroom onto the back of the house free of charge! Weren’t we lucky.

MawsRosie Thank you. I love that sketch. One of my favourite lines is "We used to have to get up half an hour before we went to bed."

Like GG13 and PollyEster, my childhood was unlike most of those described.

Oh dear, are we going down that road again?

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Georgesgran my parents had pubs with restaurants, we had a car (as did both sets of grandparents). We had dishwashers, washing machines, fridges and freezers. My grandparents had fridges with little ice boxes, just big enough for ice ream and ice cubes, one had a washing machine, the other had a spin dryer.

All had televisions, radios and record players, we also had a tape recorder.

I had holidays each year with grandparents, sometimes both sets at the same time, sometimes separately as well as holidays with parents. Cannot remember not having fashionable clothes as well as a dreadfully strictly adhered to school uniform.

I remember meeting my parents outside Selfridges, Oxford Street most Thursdays after school, it was a short bus journey from my grammar school.

Weekends with paternal grandparents involved local stables and going up to Carnaby Street with Grandpa where he worked. I was allowed to visit Galts Toy Shop and Liberty’s on my own whilst there from the age of 8.

With my maternal Granny, we would go to visit Great Aunties and Uncles, spending time outside with second cousins.

My mother worked as did both of my grandmothers.

I guess as an only grandchild of only parents until I was 12 I was fortunate.

My mum, a widow, worked full time so we 3 were farmed out during school holidays and were latchkey kids in term time.
I hated being minded at some random child minder and determined to be a SAH mum for my 4.
Did they even notice! 😩

Just curious GG13 and PollyEster
In what ways were your childhoods so different?

I didn’t have an inside loo until we left a privately rented property for a council house. We had a coal fire in one room and I had a plug in electric heater in my bedroom, only for undressing/dressing. Dad worked a 6 day week - being out of the 12 hours most days. He did get a car, but could only take it to work on Saturdays. He wasn’t much of a gardener, so we relied on my Grandad for most of our vegetables. I can remember a sort of wash tub, operated manually for laundry, until Mum got one much the same as Witzend describes.

However, there were plenty of kids around and we’d be out from dawn to dusk in the school holidays.

eazybee

We had housewives.
That is, stay-at-home women who worked (laboured) all day, cared for children and elderly relatives while making clothes and growing vegetables.

I don’t remember my mother not working.
She didn’t have time to grow veg but she was a natural Gardner.

HelterSkelter it’s usual to see children that age and a little younger out and about here, on their own or in a group. My grandchildren did as well when younger.

I agree GG13

GrannyGravy13

Reading these posts, I am mindful of how people’s childhoods differ.

Me too. I don't recognise some of the childhoods being described.

We didn’t have mains electricity when I was very young. We had a wheel in the back kitchen which my father wound at night. It worked the hydro electric system.

"nanna8* its really strange to see a child of 8 to 10 or so out on their own now. In fact I, who spent my whole childhood out on my own, often look around for the parent. So very sad. What these kids have missed. But times are so very very different.

My DM did have an electric washing machine in the 50s, but it was the kind you have to pull out, plug in, fill with water, and later put all the washing through the attached mangle.

We had housewives.
That is, stay-at-home women who worked (laboured) all day, cared for children and elderly relatives while making clothes and growing vegetables.

We had a shared toilet bathroom till I was 15 when we moved from top floor flat to 3 bed council house. No tv had a copper washer with a dolly, kettle on the gas and only hot water was a geyser over the kitchen sink. We had one coal fire in the living room and later a paraffin heater in the kitchen which stank. Coal for the fire was carried up 3 flights of stairs by bucket.

We knew all our neighbours right up to the top of the road ( south circular ) and all the kids would gather together and wander around quite safely, going home for tea. This was London. Huh, wouldn’t see it now. Of course none of our families had cars, we relied on buses.

Long-life light bulbs. The old fashioned ones seemed to go POP every 5 minutes.

Reading these posts, I am mindful of how people’s childhoods differ.

City breaks abroad,
Lot's of holidays
Meals out
Heating in more than one downstairs room
Lots of clothes
Pantry full of food
Lots of overwight children and adults

We didn't have a
Car
Washing machine
Shower
Central heating
Lots of clothes
Fast food

What we did have was
Lots of love
Feeling safe in our own country
Safe playing outside with your friends
Our own doctor where he knew all about you and you just went to the surgery and he saw you no appointment needed.
Home cooked food every night
Law and order

What we have lost
Our country and way of life
Respect for the police and law and order on our streets
Respect for our national monuments
Respect for our veterans

Feeling like a foreigner in your own country in some areas.

England especially London where I was born

Dehumidifier, used when drying laundry indoors during the winter.

I didn’t have until I was 15.
Inside toilet.
Bath ( used local baths)
My own bed.