Many of us want to go back to the old days, and enjoy the memories that were so dear to us when we were young, and had the guidance of our parents, who would make the right decisions for us. But as we grow up, sometimes we feel that they don't know what they are talking about, and thus we rebel, and go against the wishes of those who brought us into this world. But as we mature into the same people they were and we have to set down the guidlines for our children, we find that they really were very smart, and only wanted to do what was best for us.
I know that I question the rules several times and I wanted to rebel, but when you grow up in a family as big as ours, you learn real soon that everyone suffers when you disobey. We didn't go against the rules set down, because we knew that if we worked together as a family, the rewards were very good. In the old days, you had cetain chores to do, as well as going to school and making good grades. I always had to cut the wood, and get in the coal for the heating stove each day after school, and then do my homework, before going out to play.
Our playing time consisted of playing baseball, basketball, and climbing trees to get at the apples and cherries. We had several fruit trees in the yard that mom used to make jelly with, and you left those alone.
We also had a chicken coop, and they were for eggs and food when needed. I never liked chicken, so the rest of the family was glad to eat my share.
We also had a garden that needed to be maintained, That was a lot of work but when you set at the dinner table and ate the food from the garden, you were glad you did your part in it's harvest. The corn, greenbeans, carrots, cabbage, and onoins, kept us fed in a time of war and poverty. I'm not saying we were hungry, but in those days and in a family of sixteen, you had to do what you could to stay alive.
We didn't have two people in the family working on the outside. Dad worked in the steel mill, and Mom worked at home taking care of the whole family. As I look back I see that they did a great job of raising us, and they gave of themselves in order to take care of us. Mom worked all day long and you never heard her say she was tired, but we knew she was. So we had to do learn how to take care of ourselves, so that she could rest once in a while. To this day each of us that are still alive, can stand on our own two feet, and do whatever we set our minds to do. Thanks to mom for that.Dad worked many hours in the mill and we knew that when he came home , he was tired and we tried to help him out as we could. The role of a good father is to work to supply his family with a home ,food ,and clothing. He did a great job of that, and we are very proud of our parents to this day. They are with God now, and we miss them very much.
I eventually went into the mill, and spent thirty-one years there until it went down. I saw why dad was tired when he came home. I worked alongside of my dad at the mill and even had him working for me when I got into supervision. That was an experience, but dad was a pro, and he and I worked together real well. I was proud of him, and I knew that he was proud of me too.
I now work for Sears as a salesman in the Power Tools area, and I meet a lot of my old friends who I grew up with, and we talk about the old days , and we compare today with yesterday. We have it good now, but because of our memories, we know where we came from. It is great to have friends that you can rely on to make it through life, and I am fortunate to have many.
This is my views, not to offend anyone,but to give you peace and hope.