A Reply

I am writing this as an appendage from the previous page concerning Do You Remeber When.I have been taken to task for my comments. Yes,I do remember when America was like this. I was told that it was my generation that rebelled against their parents. It was my generation that introduced drugs and demonstrations. It was my generation that rioted and were bigotted. There were those in my generation that did these things.While some were doing these things, the majority were living by the rules.Our town did not have demonstrations,riots,or drugs.While some in my generation were part of the hippy crowd and the "flower children" I was being taught responsibility by my parents.My dad had always told me that "the world dosen't owe you a living,and if I wanted to make anything of myself it would require hard work.My dad taught me respect for authority and I addressed adults as mam and sir.He had also said that a person has to earn respect,it is not a given.He had also taught me to try to put myself in someone else's shoes to see their viewpoint.He also taught me that self pity was destructive.He used to tell the story of the man that was so sad because he had no shoes,but then he met a man that had no feet and he realized how lucky he was. I met and fell in love with my husband when he got out of boot camp.He had been drafted in the U.S. Army during the height of the Viet Nam conflict.If we were like the people that was described by the person that wrote to me my husband would have went to Canada or protested by burning his draft card or the flag.He and thousands of other young men were not happy about being drafted but this was the law of the land.This did not mean that he believed in the war but his country had called him to serve.He accepted his responsibility.When he came back from the army we got married.He enlisted in the US Air Force and we began to raise a family. When those of my generation were promoting "free love" at Woodstock we were in the military serving our country.I said we because the wives also are serving their country when they are married to a man in the military.My husband was overseas during Woodstock and I was here in the states taking care of our baby and wondering if my husband would come back to us alive. When we got out of the service we had 3 sons,our daughter was born a few years after we became civilians. Even during the 80's in my town it was safe to leave your doors unlocked,to walk down a dark street at night and not be afraid.You watched after each others children.Children were taught to have respect for property and adults.This is what we taught our children.Neighbors would go to neighbors to settle their differences,not take them to court. You were responsible for your actions and there was not a "syndrome" to explain away your bad deeds.The family sat around the supper table together.This was sometimes an adventure in itself. There were schoolyard bullies but they fought with their fist and not guns.My children were all victims of bullies but they stood up to them.They did not have to worry about getting shot,the bullies would back down because they were cowards when confronted.Now that is not the case because they take a gun to school and kill any and all that gets in their way. Yes,there were those that were pot smoking,draft dodging,anti-establishment kids in my generation but I and my husband were not one of them.I cringe every time I hear one of the baby boomers say that everyone in our generation did these things.Myself or none of my friends or family did any of those things.For those in the media and politics to say that we did are very unjust.They want to make theirself feel a little better.It is like the kid that asks their mom "why can't I do it,Susie gets to do it"? My parents told me that they didn't care what Susie did that I was to do what they told me to do.Of course,they added,"if Susie jumped off a bridge would you want to jump off too"? Kind of puts things in a different light. Even when My children were young which was during the 70's and 80's there was a sense of shame if you were pregnant out of wedlock.Now it is a badge of honor.Shame is a word that seems to be missing from the vocabulary of politically correct thinking people. Even when our children were young things were different.Things were like the "Remember When" I had written about.I could slowly begin to see things change.There used to be pride in our country.A sense of responsibility for one's actions.Things have changed so much during the last decade even in our small town. We can no longer leave our doors unlocked.Drugs are now prevalent in our small town.Big city life has now hit small town U.S.A. There are so many thousands of good young people who are the age of my children.They were also raised by a "baby boomer".They were taught the same moral principles that I taught my children and my parents taught me.My oldest sons have given me grandchildren,ages 4,5,6.I worry about the future for my grandbabies.I know my sons will teach them right from wrong and responsibility for their actions.They will also teach them respect for authority just as they were taught. We seldom heard about the good kids of my generation or the good kids of my children's or grandchildren's generation.They far outnumber the bad in our society. I did not mean to offend anyone by my comments.I was speaking of my personal life and recollections.