For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: It might have been! John Greenleaf Whittier
Of course, the phrase is sad. Lost opportunity, whether it be of our own making or not, is always sad. There are other phrases with also ring with a similar melancholy; “I can’t” for one. “It’s too late” for another.
And lately, I’ve encountered another woeful phrase pretty frequently. More than once, I’ve heard an adult exclaim, “When I was a kid, there weren’t any lighted ballfields or fancy swimming pools and we got along just fine. I don’t see why kids need them now.”
It’s true some things were better in the “good old days” But to deny today’s young something of value for no other reason than we weren’t fortunate enough to enjoy it when we were young, is not only a sad commentary; it’s also rather selfish. In the good old days, most people worked to make life better for the next generation.
Back when there weren’t organized sports or maintained facilities, often times there weren’t paved roads or electricity to the house or indoor plumbing. Funny how we don’t hear anyone clamoring for a return to dirt roads, kerosene lamps and outhouses.
Sure, there was a time when kids didn’t have to cope with such heavy problems as drugs or energy crises. It would really be nice if today’s youth could be spared confrontations with problems of such serious consequence. It would truly be ideal if finding bait in order to go fishing was the most serious aspect of taking a trip. We would all like to hold on to simpler times. But times change.
And often times, change is for the better. During the past few years, we’ve found a prevention for polio, sent men to the moon and merely skirted the magic of computers. Do we really want to forfeit these marvels?
I grew up in a home where I truly was loved and nurtured through all my growing pains. It is an enduring value we strive to pass on to our children. Yet I have another very vivid memory about growing up. I can still see my mother starching and ironing all of my school dresses, day in, day out. As the mother of three children, all I have to say is, thank goodness for perma-press.
1980
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