# Without saying your age, what's something from your childhood that a younger person wouldn't understand? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138 "2021-10-25T01:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/603 "2021-11-09T03:04:02Z")
> [@Ricc](#): > > Fill the tank, give the attendant a $10. And get change back. (Late 60’) I can remember being in high school and buying 50 cents worth of gas for the weekend. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/604 "2021-11-09T03:05:32Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Those metal band-aid boxes made a great stash box. Those and Sucrets tins. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/605 "2021-11-09T03:28:02Z")
Do they still make those March of Dimes booklets that kids filled up with dimes? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/606 "2021-11-09T06:33:30Z")
“Dial 9 for an outside line.” If you wanted to call a number outside the organization you were calling from, you’d first dial 9, then the number. It might be local, or it might be long distance, but you had to dial 9 in order to access the wider phone system, not just the organization’s local system. Of course, young people today have cellphones, and do not need to “dial 9 for an outside line.” ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/607 "2021-11-09T11:04:11Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > Fly swatters and fly paper. > > I haven’t seen either in a long time. Fly paper reeks of Bad Old Times, but fly swatters are still around and much used. We had to get two last summer, with the number of flies in the house. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/608 "2021-11-09T11:14:16Z")
How often things had to go through some maintenance procedure: 1. Taking the car in for the “spring tune up” and a “fall tune up”. Points, plugs, condensor, carburetor cleanout… (The Model T manual had a list of things to be oiled or greased every week.) 2. Having to take your wristwatch or clock in every three years to have it cleaned and oiled. 3. Mentioned before - but replacing tubes in a TV / Radio, ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/609 "2021-11-09T12:11:52Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > “Dial 9 for an outside line.” > > If you wanted to call a number outside the organization you were calling from, you’d first dial 9, then the number. It might be local, or it might be long distance, but you had to dial 9 in order to access the wider phone system, not just the organization’s local system. This still exists. My employer’s phone system works this way, even after upgrading to a VOIP phone system. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/610 "2021-11-09T12:22:13Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > This still exists. My employer’s phone system works this way As does mine. The benefit being that we only have to dial 4 digits to get an internal number. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/611 "2021-11-09T12:26:32Z")
They had to bump it up to 5 digits for internal calls a few years back at my job ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/612 "2021-11-09T12:40:32Z")
Our office is still sitting there with landline phones on every desk, though almost no one has been in the office for 20 months. I was dialing in to check my messages about once a month, because our executive admins still call landlines to reach us. Instead of looking up our contact information in our email signatures or or profiles (where almost everyone has just had a cell phone listed for years before COVID) they look up landlines in the facility directory. I’m sure 75% of employees don’t know a facility directory exists and 90% couldn’t find it if they wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/613 "2021-11-09T15:01:54Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@CastletonSnob1](#): > > > > When I was a kid, if we wanted to get on the internet and someone was on the phone, we had to wait until they got off the phone. > > Replace “get on the internet” with “download naughty ASCII art from CompuServe.” Replace with “use the phone”. When I was a kid, if we wanted to use the phone and someone was on the phone, we had to wait until they got off the phone. Saturday morning cartoons. When I was a kid, I couldn’t just pull up one of a dozen screens in my home and stream hours of cartoons the way my kids stream Lego Ninjago everywhere. If I wanted to watch G.I. Joe, Transformers, Bugs Bunny, Robotech, X-Men or whatever I had to get up at 7am Saturday morning and wait for it to come on. If I missed it, then I missed cartoons for the week. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/614 "2021-11-09T15:10:22Z")
And if your TV was broken, or you were on a car trip (etc.) the night the Wizard of Oz was on, you missed it until the **next year**. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/615 "2021-11-09T15:17:59Z")
[quote=msmith537] I had to get up at 7am Saturday morning and wait for it to come on. If I missed it, then I missed cartoons for the week.[/quote] There were a couple other somewhat lame alternatives where a kid could see some cartoons if they needed their cartoon fix. There were a smattering of cartoons on Sunday morning. They tended to be older cartoons out of circulation for years. And if you were REALLY desperate for animated ‘fun’ there was always the uber Lutheran Davey & Goliath. There might also be a locally produced kids show after school that featured some cartoons - again, usually older syndicated stuff like Popeye or 1940’s vintage Merrie Melodies type fare. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/616 "2021-11-09T15:22:28Z")
I think something was lost when cartoons became available 24/7 on cable and streaming. Used to be things like Wizard of Oz or holiday specials like Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph were broadcast on network tv only once a year and because of it they were considered SPECIAL. They were _events_ a kid looked forward to. The anticipation was part of the fun. That’s no longer the case. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/617 "2021-11-09T15:38:06Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Used to be things like Wizard of Oz or holiday specials like Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph were broadcast on network tv only once a year and because of it they were considered SPECIAL. My Grandpa used to call us up to let us know when something like a Peanuts special was going to be on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/618 "2021-11-09T15:46:05Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > There were a smattering of cartoons on Sunday morning In the LA media market we had two hours of Popeye on Sundays (with Super Chicken, George of the Jungle, and Tom Slick mixed in). I actually preferred that to Saturday morning offerings. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/619 "2021-11-09T15:50:11Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Used to be things like Wizard of Oz or holiday specials like Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph were broadcast on network tv only once a year and because of it they were considered SPECIAL These were also often group viewings since a lot of kids (like myself) didn’t have a color TV in our own home so we would be invited with other fellow unfortunates to view Oz or a Peanuts special a at home that did. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/620 "2021-11-09T15:58:06Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > There might also be a locally produced kids show after school that featured some cartoons - again, usually older syndicated stuff like Popeye or 1940’s vintage Merrie Melodies type fare. We had [one such](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wallace_and_Ladmo_Show) here in Phoenix Metro. It showed mostly WB with a smattering of Fleischer Popeye cartoons. I remember after one particularly egregious WWII Bugs Bunny cartoon – he gave Japanese soldiers Good Humor sticks with grenades instead of ice cream – the host said, “Somebody’s gotta tell Bugs – the war is _over!_” ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/621 "2021-11-09T15:59:55Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I think something was lost when cartoons became available 24/7 on cable and streaming. Used to be things like Wizard of Oz or holiday specials like Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph were broadcast on network tv only once a year and because of it they were considered SPECIAL. They were _events_ a kid looked forward to. The anticipation was part of the fun. That’s no longer the case. OMG! The excitement and anticipation my sisters and I had when The Wizard of Oz, Rudolph, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, The Little Drummer Boy and Charlie Brown were on. It was an event. My kids had that for a few years until VCRs and videos became affordable. Then they watched whenever they wanted. In fact, the summer my son was about 2-1/2 he watched Rudolph about 3 times a day…every day. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/622 "2021-11-09T16:57:17Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > I think something was lost when cartoons became available 24/7 on cable and streaming. Used to be things like Wizard of Oz or holiday specials like Charlie Brown Christmas, and Rudolph were broadcast on network tv only once a year and because of it they were considered SPECIAL. They were _events_ a kid looked forward to. The anticipation was part of the fun. That’s no longer the case. Don’t forget _Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol_ and Chuck Jones’ presentation of _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ narrated by Boris Karloff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138.md?page=32)