There was a glow of timelessness that carried us through our childhood, and I have a sense it is true no matter the era.
Between Petticoat Junction and The Beverly Hillbillies, my sisters and I watched and wondered what might become of us when the farm and our school no longer held us in a certain place.
When I heard of the passing of actress Donna Douglas at 81 on Jan. 1, it occurred to me that she is of my mother’s era, not mine.
Elly May, with her spunky charm and her flawless but simple beauty, made us all laugh and shake our head at the antics she so innocently played out. It goes without saying that those were much simpler times.
Stepping out of line, in any scope, brought consequences. It was a daring story line to us all if Elly May shot a critter out of season, and even her Pa couldn’t make the unlawfulness of such an act go away.
Good discipline
It went without saying that rules were not in place to be bent or broken. Teachers could paddle a student who was unruly and disrespectful, and we lived by the covenant if one of us got in trouble at school — that was nothing compared to what we would face at home.
Chores didn’t come with a list of instructions, nor did it come with reward attached.
“What would happen if you just said you don’t want to milk cows?” one of my “town” friends once asked me, upset that I couldn’t spend the weekend with her family.
My answer, quite direct and true, was we never would have pushed our luck enough to find out.
Even the world of television was cloaked in simple right and wrong, and did not force our parents to cover our eyes or send us to our room before they could watch their favorite program. We popped a big batch of popcorn and watched Red Skelton or Bonanza or The Beverly Hillbillies together.
In awe
We were often in awe of Elly May, who could hunt and skin and put a meal on the table with a little help from Granny.
“I didn’t mean to do no wrong,” was often the jist of an episode which found Elly May’s Pa trying to explain they were living in a different world than she had once known, with city-type laws governing the hunt.
The difference between then and now, so simply, was that adults were in charge, no matter the question. And whether we would have said so at the time, it created a sense of stability, in ways both large and insignificant, and kept the world spinning.
You were raised as I was! My mom was 4’ 10 1/2” tall and I was the youngest of 4 (10 yr spread)
U NEVER sat in the house and pout screaming “I’m bored, there’s NOTHING to do”, just to name a few! For this, immediately got the response, go pull all the weeds out of the entire yard. Get a bucket, so Comet and toothbrush and get all the scuff marks off the tile. We couldn’t afford carpet.
You said a mouthful when you stated what the parents said was final! This teaches RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY”!!!!!
We were also taught that if we were lost in a store, to find a policeman and he would help and PROTECT you.
But here is a policemen in today’s time, has been villainized and made to be the BAD GUY. The kids see their parents (their FRIENDS) being arrested and they’re kicking, screaming, making racial and sexual remarks at the officer! How much respect does the child have for the “parents” (friends) then conversely how much will they have for the police after seeing mom & dad arrested, pepper sprayed and or tasered.
How many of their parents are mom & dad working to make a home? As opposed to just popping out new children for US to raise?!?
Being in EMS for over 30 years, I saw soooooo much that mad me sick. We just tried to get the child from bad situations and get them to the hospital. Work with the hospital to get COZs involved.