I had a very happy childhood in a loving, supportive family. However, my mom grew up in the Great Depression and to this day believes that orange juice and bacon are precious commodities akin to platinum. My sisters and I never got more than a very small glass of orange juice for breakfast, and two slices of bacon (except once, when I picked bacon as the one food I wanted more than any other for my birthday meal, and she cooked so much for a friend and me that we got a little sick). Now I’m a grownup (well, kinda, sort of) with a family of my own, and I get to drink as much OJ and eat as much bacon as I want. Being an adult and running your own household has its perks, after all! Woohoo!
When we were kids my mom would always give us a special breakfast on Saturdays, like donuts or those cinnamon rolls from a can. There were three of us and the cinnamon rolls came eight to a can so we each got two and mom would get two. I always wanted to eat the whole can by myself, but I had to share. Now I regularly buy them and eat at least half the can.
Once in a great while my father would make egg sandwiches for breakfast. (You know; the egg, bacon, and cheese) They were amazing, though he would only make them as a “treat”. I wished it happened more often then it did. I have tried to make them, but they don’t come out as good as his did.
Pepsi or Coke was a special treat when I was a kid. We were only allowed milk or water with meals, unless we were having seafood. My Dad was convinced (and still is I’m sure) that it was unholy to have milk with seafood. (Or at least really bad for you). I have no clue what the thought process behind that was. The other time we were allowed to have soft drinks instead of milk is if we were running a fever. Something about the milk curdling. Not sure on the thought process there either, but I enjoyed eating seafood and being sick (but not together. :p)
Butter. Yes, back in the day, butter was way more expensive than margarine, so we had Blue Bonnet margarine to put on our Del Farm store-brand toast. It had absolutely no flavor, so I’d have to salt my toast. I won’t have any facsimile butter in my house.
We also couldn’t afford milk, so my mother would buy nonfat dry milk. Once we had a little more money, we got to mix dry milk and real milk 50:50. I don’t drink much milk now, but 2% is as low as I’ll go.
McDonalds. When I was a kid, Mickey Ds was something I only got on birthdays. Now, I can has 2 double cheeseburgers for $2.89! Where do you go from there?
We were allowed one Coke when we ate out. I always finished mine before the food came (my sister, damn her, did not). This was not because of any anti-soda sentiment, but an austerity measure. As an adult, I enjoyed getting two Cokes with dinner. I mentioned this to my mother when I was about 40, and she now orders me two Cokes whenever we eat out together.
Paper towels. Growing up, it was drilled into me that paper towels and paper napkins were decadently expensive; now I live a fairly austere life (by choice), but I treat myself by buying those Viva paper towels that feel like soft cloth. Every time I use one, I feel like I’m getting away with something.
As far as stuff to eat goes, I pretty much had it made as a kid; we could have candy (though chocolate was forbidden when we got to be teenagers and got acne :rolleyes: )sugar cereal, soda pop . . . other kids loved coming to my house.
What I didn’t get to do as a kid that I savor now is the ability to wear my brand new clothes whenever I damn want to, without having to wait. When I was a kid, it seemed that whenever I got new clothes or shoes, either I got them for a “special occasion” (like for Easter, or for back-to-school) and had to wait for that occasion, or for some other reason I had to put them away for awhile (I had to save the new jeans/sneakers until the old ones were completely worn out, etc.)
Now, sometimes, when I get something new, I wear it out of the damn store. Just because I can.
Cartoons and children’s books. Our parents didn’t like us watching them or reading them- they preferred, once we learned to read something beyond Sam & the Firefly, for us to read “real books” and watch “real movies”, which is why I read Helter Skelter in 4th grade when other kids were reading Sam & the Firefly 2: Luminescent Boogaloo (and unlike me the other kids slept during the next two years).
Anyway, I now love cartoons and even read an occasional children’s (or rather Y.A. [Harry Potter level]) book.
And growing up in the middle of nowhere you can’t imagine how much I love being able to drive to a grocery store and back within 10 minutes, or see a movie, etc…
My mother had a “one soda a day” rule. Sensible, I’m sure.
Now, though, I always have at least a twelve pack of soda in my fridge, if not more. Diet Coke, Fanta Zero, and Diet Dr. Pepper. And sometimes I drink one of each. Slurrrrrrp.
And store-bought clothes. My mother is an accomplished seamstress and loved to make all of my clothes. I got to pick out the patterns and the fabric and in many ways I guess it sounds ideal; everything I ever wore was both unique and custom-fit.
But I used to SAVOR any type of clothing with a label in it.
And I still get a bit of a kick out of buying things off the rack. No pins! No patterns! No fittings! No standing still while things are hemmed! Just buy it!
HA! I think I read *Helter Skelter * in about the 4th grade, too. Which is odd, because I was sheltered like the dickens from scary movies - hell, any R-rated movie - until I went away to college.
I still remember the photo in the book of Susan Atkins in jail, with the caption, “My smile is because of Jesus.”
I was not allowed to have one as my dad felt they were dirty animals with bugs that should only be kept outside tied to a dog house.
We did get one when I was about twelve. You ever try to go exploring in the woods with a toy poodle?
After my divorce I went to the local animal shelter and got me a husky/shephard mix. Pepper was the dog I never had as a kid. I loved her with all my heart and still miss her.
Funny part was the poodle we had was named Pepper. I did not name my Pepper though, she came with that name. It was like my childhood reincarnated.
I now have three dogs, all adopted, and I love them all. They are my pack and they follow me everywhere.
I woke up every Christmas morning hoping there was a motorcycle (dirt bike) under the tree. My mom thought they were too dangerous to own (little did she know how much I actually rode), so I always had to take turn with a friend’s. Guess who just bought a “new” street bike?
Cable Television. My father never believed in paying for something that “comes through the air for free.” My mother just won a 50" plasma tv in a raffle last month, and they still haven’t gotten cable, and probably won’t get it any time soon. I love being able to turn on the tv and having more than 3 channels come in clearly.
The ability to say no without guilt. Food is just one example–my parents will firm believers in the “clean plate club.” You finished what you were served or you got it cold at the next meal.
More than one towel when I shower and all the hot water I want without worrying whether the next person will be angry because they didn’t get enough (any). The sheer luxury of two bathrooms for three people compared to one bathroom for eight.
Getting to choose the color of my toothbrush. We had “assigned” colors–which made sense in a large family with one bathroom. But I find I get a lot of enjoyment over buying myself a blue toothbrush even though that was my brother’s color and “I shouldn’t.”
Junk food of any description. No sugar, no artificial colors or preservatives, no white flour. No cookies, cake (on your birthday you could have one made with whole wheat flour and apple juice), soda, chocolate (carob anyone!).
I’m sure it was much healthier, but it turned me into a binge eater. Anytime me or my brothers were out of the house and exposed to say, Oreos, or potato chips we ate like we might never get Oreo or potato chips again. I was a full blown bulimic by college. It has taken me years to come to a point of food sanity.
And that includes keeping chocolate, chips, ice cream, etc. in the house. And my kids can have some any time they want. and you know what? They only want junk food sometimes. And they can start eating it and then stop eating it.
And I never never pack lunches on long car trips. The horror of soggy tuna sandwiches haunts me still (and now tuna is bad for you! Yay!)
I grew up in Illinois where citrus fruit was expensive like gold in winter and the only orange I saw was in my Xmas stocking. I now have an orange tree in my yard and pick fruit all winter long!!
