KIDS IN THE FIFTIES Were you a kid in the Fifties or so? Everybody makes fun of our childhood! Comedians joke. Grandkids snicker. Twenty-something's shudder and say "Eeeew!" But was our childhood really all that bad? Judge for yourself: In 1953 The US population was less than 150 million... Yet you knew more people then, and knew them better... And that was good.The average annual salary was under $3,000...Yet our parents could put some of it away for a rainy day and still live a decent life... And that was good.  A loaf of bread cost about 15 cents... But it was safe for a five-year-old to skate to the store and buy one... And that was good.Prime-time meant I. Love Lucy, Ozzie and Harriet, Gunsmoke and Lassie... So nobody ever heard of ratings or filters... And that was good.  We didn't have air-conditioning... So the windows stayed up and half a dozen mothers ran outside when you fell off your bike... And that was good. Your teacher was either Miss Matthews or Mrs. Logan or Mr. Adkins... But not Ms Becky or Mr.Dan... And that was good. The only hazardous material you knew about...Was a patch of grassburrs around the light pole at the corner... And that was good.You loved to climb into a fresh bed... Because sheets were dried on the clothesline... And that was good.People generally lived in the same hometown with their relatives... So "child care" meant grandparents or aunts and uncles... And that was good.  Parents were respected and their rules were law.... Children did not talk back..... and that was good. TV was in black-and-white... But all outdoors was in glorious color....And that was certainly good.Your Dad knew how to adjust everybody's carburetor... And the Dad next door knew how to adjust all the TV knobs... And that was very good. Your grandma grew snap beans in the back yard...And chickens behind the garage... And that was definitely good. And just when you were about to do something really bad... Chances were you'd run into your Dad's high school coach... Or the nosy old lady from up the street... Or your little sister's piano teacher... Or somebody from Church... ALL of whom knew your parents' phone number...And YOUR first name... And even THAT was good! ~ REMEMBER...  Send this on to someone who can still remember Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Laurel &Hardy, Abbott &Costello, Sky King, Little Lulu comics, Brenda Starr, Howdy Doody and  The Lone Ranger, The Shadow Knows, Nellie Belle, Roy and Dale, Trigger and Buttermilk GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE, THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:  1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.  2) When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.  3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch  the second person.  4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.  5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.  6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.  7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.  8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.  9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts. 10) The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap. GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE, THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED: 1) Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree. 2) Wrinkles don't hurt. 3) Families are like fudge . . .mostly sweet, with a few nuts. 4) Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground. 5) Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside. 6) Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy. GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD 1) Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. 2) Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get. 3) When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there. 4) You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster. 5) It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions. 6) Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician. 7) Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone. THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE: 1) You believe in Santa Claus. 2) You don't believe in Santa 3) You are Santa Claus. 4) You look like Santa Claus. SUCCESS: At age 4 success is . . .not peeing in your pants. At age 12 success is . . . having friends. At age 16 success is . . . have a drivers license. At age 20 success is . . . having sex. At age 35 success is . . . having money. At age 50 success is . . . having money. At age 60 success is . . . having sex. At age 70 success is . . . having a drivers license. At age 75 success is . . . having friends. At age 80 success is . . . not peeing in your pants.