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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Apparently, I'm just a younger version of my mother...

You know when you start using vernacular like "Back in the day..." or "When I was your age" with your kids, you're getting old. It's the equivalent of hearing your own parent's versions of how when they were young, they "walked 2 miles to school, uphill in the snow...both ways".

Today, I was sharing with my son how when I was his age, there were no such things as vcrs. There were no dvd players. No personal computers. No cell phones. Not every home had a telephone or television, for that matter.

He seemed to be taking it all in stride, until I mentioned the fact that the only day I could watch cartoons was on Saturday. He was positively shocked by that little revelation. Never mind the fact that we didn't have all the technology. It was the cartoons that shook the foundations of his world.

Of course, I had Captain Kangaroo and Sesame Street to wake up to every weekday morning. My son has never watched either. I recently introduced him and his little sister to Bert and Ernie via Youtube, as well as the Yip Yips - we spent an hour laughing until there were tears in our eyes. I don't know what this says about me, honestly.

Television today just isn't the same, which is one reason why we don't watch it. Call me old fashioned, but I prefer the old days, where cartoons only came on early Saturday mornings and were off by 10am - simpler times, because I'm really at heart a pretty simple person. Plus, I really dislike that glazed look my kids get when they spend too much time in front of the television (my uncle Jim used to call it the "boob tube").

Good grief, I not only am looking more like my mother the older I get, I'm starting to sound just like her too. I walked two miles in the heat just to write this blog post tonight...

So what shows did you watch when you were a kid?

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22 comments:

Anonymous said...

I loved Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. My favorites were Pink Panther and The Smurfs. I know how you feel, I find that I'm sounding more like my mother all the time, too.

Kim from Hiraeth said...

One night a week (I think it was Tuesday)fresh from our baths, my sister and brother and I would sit on a spread out sheet on the living room floor in our clean jammies in front of the TV to watch a half hour show--"Lost in Space."

We had to sit on a sheet because my mom always made us popcorn for "Lost in Space" because with popcorn there was always the "Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!" of spilled popcorn on my mother's clean rug.

What a fun memory. Thanks for evoking it, Karen.

Anonymous said...

I loved the Smurfs!

Another thing our kids can't comprehend is writing letters-- not on a computer. I have a huge container of them in my closet because I have done this for years, and they just can't get it.

Anonymous said...

I am another Smurfs fan. I am itching to buy the new DVD.

Anna has PBS on for a little while in the mornings but she doesn't really watch it. We don't watch todays "normal" cartoons.

Liz said...

No tv in our home, but we had specific radio programs we listened to on the weekends like "Your Story Hour," "Raaaaangggeeeeeer Billllllll" and of course "Odyssey"

Unknown said...

I remember the Friday Night Videos they had on TV! We would have a sleep over and stay up late to watch it! I used to love to watch the Gummy Bears cartoons and Smurfs when I was young(er).

Madeline said...

Funny post! Growing up our t.v. watching was restricted. When I had my baby I decided to just toss the t.v. altogether. The glazed over look bugs me too!

Anonymous said...

My husband and I still enjoy Saturday morning cartoons - the ones on NBC/Qubo can be good. Our favorite is Jane and the Dragon. We also like Jacob Two-Two and the Replacements on ABC also on Saturday mornings.

Anonymous said...

Jacob Two-Two is also NBC/Qubo, sorry for the confusion... and they also have "My friend Rabbit" for younger kids as well as 1-2-3 Penguin and Veggie Tales.

grammy said...

I think TV and DVD's just make it hard for anything to be special. It's always at your finger tips. Do you remember when a Christmas special came on and it was a big event. (That would be my kids not me.) I loved horse shows like 'My friend Flica' Then you go outside and run around for hours playing like you are a horse or a cowgirl. Do kids still go out and run around? hee hee

Dani' said...

We had a teeny tiny black and white tv. I mostly watched PBS. Then later no tv, no electricity (except when we had solar), no water. My mom was a hippy though. We didn't even have junk food or sugary stuff in the house. She did keep jars for baking but they were labeled WHITE DEATH. LOL.

VisibleSoulPhotography said...

Smurfs for sure!

and in reference to sounding like your mother...I feel the pain too!

Mirror mirror on the wall...I am my mother after all. (sigh)

Emily said...

i only remember watching TV when my mom was folding clothes. and then we'd watch m.a.s.h. (why?) and the batman cartoons that had the BIFF! and BLAMMO! bubbles. good times.

Anonymous said...

I loved Lost in Space, The Muppet Show, The Banana Splits, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and of course, Looney Tunes. Saturday wasn't Saturday with out Bugs, Daffy, and the gang!

Mel said...

The only cartoons I watched was the Smurfs at 9am on Saturday. Loved those little blue things. I was homeschooled and I remember we were allowed to watch I love Lucy and the Andy Griffith Show every morning 9-10 before we began lessons. I still love those old shows. Leave it to Beaver rocked!!

Flea said...

My kids watched Sesame Street when they were little. I watched Under Dog. And I don't know what else. Don't make me think about my childhood! Don't make me remember when the Simpsons first ran as part of the Tracy Ulman show! And don't make me remember the debut of MTV!

I Am Boymom said...

Wow! I must be old. We watched Hong Kong Phooey, Johnny Quest, Shazaam and Isis, Scooby Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, Looney Toons, Tennessee Tuxedo, Aesops Fables (Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman) and then finished Saturday morning off with American Bandstand at 10 am. Had to keep up with the latest dance moves!

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Amen when it comes to tv. I like the idea of Saturday only, done at 10! :D

Apparently, I'm about the same generation as I am Boymom - those are a lot of the same shows I watched. The Bugs Bunny - Road Runner Hour was my favorite. Bugs has always been at the top of my list. I had a stuff Bugs when I was three.

After school, I sometimes watched the Addams Family, Leave it to Beaver, Andy Griffith, I Dream of Jeannie, and I can't think of others.

If we could depose cartoon network, that would probably be a good start. LOL! :D

Lisa B @ simply His said...

Oh, I love the Smurfs too! And you know what? My daughter just found Boomerang on our cable box and it shows all the great "older" cartoons -- even Scooby Doo re-runs (which she loves and she's in 4th grade!). Ah, the memories ...

Unknown said...

I, too was a Smurfs fan. We had many years where we didn't watch tv at all, but when we did I would beg to watch Happy Days re-runs. My grandmother had the very new, and very expensive satellite tv and I would watch Fraggle Rock!

Jamy said...

I came across your blog from a comment on 'Antique Mommy'. So far, I love it! I about died when you mentioned the 'yip yips'! They were by far my favorite thing about Sesame Street. My favorite show was 'My little Pony'. I totally understand what mean about TV not being the same. We don't have any channels on our TV. We only own movies. That way I can control 100% of what's being showed in my home. Anyways, just wanted to say you're not the only one. ;)

Anonymous said...

I *loved* Saturday morning cartoons! Getting up at 6AM with a bowl of Fruit Loops - that was great. LOL!

Even though I let my kids watch TV, there's just TOO MANY shows to choose from. It's the same reason I don't like shopping for new shoes - it's such an overwhelming experience. I think my favorite cartoon channel is NOGGIN.

Yip, yip, yip . . . . NOG GIN . . . . Yip, Yip