Remember When...
- Isabella Boston
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
By Isabella Boston & Michael Harvey
Remember When...
Remember when children would play outdoors for hours, drink water from the water hose, and chase the ice cream truck like their lives depended on it?
You could always tell which house held the neighborhood kids by the dozens of bikes scattered on the front lawn. There were no cell phones, but that was never a problem, because the community was a family and looked out for one another.
Remember when Saturday mornings were for a bowl of your favorite cereal and cartoons? There was also a toy at the bottom of most cereal boxes. I can still remember how happy I was to retrieve mine.
Remember when most television stations went off the air by midnight, replacing regular programming with the national anthem, a test pattern, and static until morning?
Remember when parents actually respected each other and disciplined their children?
Remember when children brought apples to school for their teachers, and not guns?
There was no chewing gum allowed in class, and “texting” was a form of passing folded notes to your friend on the other side of the classroom through your peers when the teacher wasn’t looking. (By the way, it was an unwritten code of honor that no one opened and read your notes either.)
Remember when profanity meant having your mouth washed out with soap?
Remember when an empty soda pop bottle could be cashed in for 5 cents? My brother and I would round them up, load them on a red wagon, and haul them to the nearby store for penny candy: Mary Jane’s, Jolly Ranchers, Atomic Fireballs, Squirrel Nuts, Root Beer Barrels, Bazooka Bubble Gum, Tootsie Rolls, Caramel Creams, Pixie Stix, Lemon Heads, Smarties, and so many more!
Remember when $5.00 bought you two movie tickets, a large popcorn, and two drinks with change to spare?
Teenagers hung out at the roller rink or the nearby diner, drank milkshakes & malts instead of alcohol, and listened to their favorite songs on a jukebox. They held summer and after-school jobs and learned to respect the value of a hard-earned dollar.
Children were raised to respect their elders. Boys were sent to mow their neighbor’s lawn during the summer or shovel the snow in winter.
Girls were taught that family was sacred, held babysitting jobs, and were taught to cook, sew, weave, and care for the home — things frowned upon today...
Remember when Sunday was for a day of worship, spending time with your family, and doing good for others? All stores were closed for business, except for 7-Eleven, of course, and people greeted one another with “sir” and “ma’am”.
Remember when looking your best was a sign of self-respect? Men wore suits and buttoned-down shirts with ties, while women wore dresses, pearls, and their favorite shade of lipstick, even when going to the store! And you wouldn’t be caught dead in church or a courtroom, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt!
Remember when gentlemen held the doors for women, and ladies allowed them with much gratitude and respect?
Remember when the neighborhood police officer was named “Officer Friendly”? He/she was respected in the community and wore their badge with honor to protect and serve. It was common practice for police officers to visit schools, speak with children, and build rapport with the community.
Remember when integrity was more than just a nine-letter word?
What happened to all these traditional values? Where did our love for God in Christ Jesus, self, and community go?
What happened to good manners? What happened to pride & humility? And what happened to self-respect?
What happened to our sense of accountability? What happened to real community?
As I sit here and write this post, I am alarmed, concerned, and deeply saddened. I feel so much sorrow in my heart that our planet and love for humanity are slowly slipping away.
All that was good is now being replaced by greed, power, and the need for control.
We all need to stop blaming each other for all the "wrong" in the world and start looking within ourselves to make it "right".
The first step to change begins with US.
If we do not rear up our children in the way of the Lord (Proverbs 22:6) and with the old traditional values, morals, and virtues of yesterday, there will be no more tomorrow:
No more peace.
No more love.
No more respect.
No more HUMANITY!
But if each of us starts right now, here and today, one day we won’t have to say:
Remember when...
Author's Bio
Isabella Boston is a freelance writer, researcher, and advocate with a passion for raising awareness about important social and environmental issues.
Through thoughtful, evidence-based articles, she seeks to educate readers about topics ranging from human trafficking prevention and victim advocacy to wildlife conservation and the protection of endangered species. Her work is driven by a belief that informed individuals can help create meaningful change for both people and God's planet.
Aside from being a writer, Isabella is a book & vintage fashion lover, a language enthusiast, and, most importantly, a woman of God in Christ Jesus!
