20 things your child will never do or understand

[echogirl1]

When I was first married, we had a 100 percent mortgage on a Govt. scheme, we brought our wedding forward 5 months and moved in, with nothing except a bed paid for by our parents.  We purchased a three piece suite on hire purchase, and only added to our home bit by bit every month, from our wages. We couldn't afford to go out, so our evenings were spent in front of one bar of the electric fire.  Despite us both working full time,  every week was a struggle, and youngsters nowadays think they have it hard.  Despite all our earlier struggles, the 1st step on the property ladder was our salvation, and now many years on I am still reaping the benefits of that decision.

[mercury]

The kids of today who are so used to having constant hot water and a shower every day would never understand "bath night" which was always a Sunday in our house. My Mum first. I got in her water and my brothers got in after us, topping up the water with kettles if the water got cold.. We had " stripped" washes the rest of the week.. Barrie 2 pairs of underpants.. One on and one in the wash.. The immersion heater would only be on an hour at a time.. We had a fire back boiler for The Winter..
I remember we had metal windows which had ice on the inside!! and jack frost pictures.. No central heating in those days.. My mum used to light the fire using a newspaper to draw the flames and invariably it caught fire... I hated coming home on a Monday when all the washing was hung around the fire..

[mercury]

Just thinking about all these posts.. We grew up in The North of course. Were things any better down south?. My mate Bee born a Londoner looks with disbelief at me sometimes.

[Menthol]

Well I'm also a Northerner and I definitely remember being on fire duty.

Get up on a freezing cold morning and make up the fire. I was an expert. But yes, made the chimney catch fire a few times when holding up a broadsheet newspaper to make the fire draw. We had a back boiler too for all the hot water.

Whilst we had a bathroom, there was no inside loo for many years. This was in the outhouse attached to the house. Full of spiders. The pipes were lagged with old sacking to stop them freezing and Dad used to hang a lit paraffin lamp next to the pipes on especially cold days.

Being excited because it was Tuesday and 'Jackie' day.

[Rimms]

Down Souf? Get a grip Anne :

Having a very poor selection of sandwiches after cricket practice

Seeing your Mother drink a glass of blue nun

Playing tennis with a racquet frame that was made of wood

Only having 6 yoghurt flavours to choose from in Fortnum's

Getting on a bus

Not having a wine fridge or crushed ice

Only having 2 foreign holidays each year

Being a one car family

Having less than 10 pairs of shoes

[Rimms]

When I used to 'draw' the fire, and the newspaper eventually scorched and caught fire, I could never get the theme from Bonanza to stop playing in my head. I can hear it now.

[Menthol]

Hahaha, Bonanza!

Although TA's fave programme was 'High Chapparel' as he had a major crush on the beautiful female lead.

[scorcher]

Whatever happened to "Dick Barton - Special Agent " or did Uncle Mac get him ?

[Colwyn]

Just thinking about all these posts.. We grew up in The North of course. Were things any better down south?. My mate Bee born a Londoner looks with disbelief at me sometimes.

Are you trying to turn this into The Four Yorkshiremen Northerners sketch?

[echogirl1]

Well I'm definitely from down South, a Londoner, and all the previous posts apply to me, we lived with my grandparents in their rented house till I was 7, then we were allocated a council house when my brother was 5.  We had newspaper on the floor until we had enough money for some lino.  The coal fire in the lounge was the only form of heating.  We had a bath once a week and cod liver oil every day.  Because I was a "sickly" child I was also given a spoonful of malt extract every day, and made to wear a liberty bodice for my "chest".  My dad was a bus driver with London Transport, and my mum made a few quid from cleaning jobs, but there was never enough money.  I remember always feeling cold, the only time I was warm was in bed cuddling my stone hot water bottle, waiting for the dog to escape my parents beady eyes and sneak into my bed.!!