I hate to sound like some stuffy, old carbuncle
And I really do try to keep up with what’s cool
But it seems like the more life I leave behind
The more I long for what’s called “old school”.
When I was a boy, some old guy once told me
How much better life was when he was a kid.
He probably felt like I was missing out, too,
Though I had so much more than he ever did.
I suppose free enterprise is to blame for this mess -
Complicating our lives with more and more stuff.
But it seems the more we have, the less we live,
So now it’s my turn to say, “Enough is enough.”
I can’t help feeling sorry for little kids today
And I feel like adults have let them all down.
Their lives seem so empty compared to mine
When I was a kid back in my old hometown.
I didn’t have five-hundred television channels.
I had seven. That’s all there were in those days.
We didn’t have a big-screen plasma TV, either.
We had a grainy, 12-inch, black and white RCA.
That was a blessing because with nothing to watch,
I spent more time outside in the fresh air and sun
Playing stick-ball, Frisbee or football with friends.
We never once ran out of new ways to have fun.
Children’s lives seem to revolve around television now.
And video games are amazing. No doubt about that.
But I didn’t have depraved images polluting my mind
And it was very rare to see another kid who was fat.
None of my elementary school pals had cuts on their arms
And I sure didn’t know anyone who needed to be drugged.
Back then, “childhood depression” was totally unheard of.
The whole world has gone crazy. Who wouldn't be bugged?
I’d love to see the good old “walkie-talkie” come back
But it would be boring for kids now to just talk and listen.
We used to hide on roofs and in trees all over the street
Making believe we were spies on a top-secret mission.
And the toys! Oh, the toys! They were so magical back then!
My favorite was the “Creepy Crawler Thingmaker” by Mattel.
Like mad scientists, we’d pour the “goop” into metal molds,
Heat them, take the bugs out, and make girls scream like hell.
I remember exploring alleys in search of treehouse decorations.
I remember long walks home from school, playing "kick the can".
I remember marble tournaments in the gutter, a mini-Colosseum,
And I can’t remember the last time I had that much fun as a man.
I remember lying on the sidewalk after long summer days
With no shirt, the cement on my skin still warm from the sun.
I remember walking home at twilight, exhausted but content
And reading MAD magazine in bed when the day was done.
On Halloween night, the neighborhood exploded with children.
My friends and I couldn’t wait for the trick-or-treating to start.
Now it seems that fewer children come to the door every year.
Now parents worry about predators. It just breaks my heart.
The Internet is amazing, a true miracle of the modern age
And when I first started using it, I admit, I was impressed.
But now all I see are kids learning way too much too fast.
And all that information is like a weight on their chest.
The kids can’t help but watch and seek the unknown.
It’s human nature to be curious and unravel mystery
But the adult world is supposed to protect the children.
We're supposed to control what the young do and see.
In the old days, little children were naturally protected.
It wasn’t good parents against low-lifes, like it is today.
The bubble of innocence was sacred and guarded by all.
Now some people make a living by leading them astray.
We were no different. Like all kids, we looked for trouble.
But the adults hid it so darn well, we never could find it!
That's the difference between adults back then and now.
The world sheltered children. That's how they designed it.
I love the modern conveniences as much as anyone else does
But part of me longs for a world that's not so jaded and slick.
I have so much "stuff" now, but my heart’s not nearly as full
As it was when I could have fun with just a baseball and a stick.
It’s hard to see the world clearly and separate from me.
Our past is a prism that bends and distorts what we see.
Kids today will probably say the same thing in the future
To the children of tomorrow, however they turn out to be.
I thought that old man was crazy back when I was a kid,
Trying to tell me that less is somehow better than more.
But now, years later, I know what he was trying to say
Now that children are more troubled than ever before.
Little girls aren’t supposed to dress up like bimbos.
Little boys aren’t supposed to listen to gangster rap.
Adults are supposed to shelter their fragile minds
From being filled with violence and perverted crap.
They will never admit it but kids want to be disciplined.
They want the adults in their lives to be strong and sure.
They may complain and call them every name in the book,
But later on, they’ll thank heaven for how solid they were.
We need to turn off the TV and turn back the clock
To the time in this country when family came first.
Kids don’t need quality time, they need quantity.
We have more than ever, so why are things worse?
These days, there are tormented kids everywhere.
They’re troubled because we are dropping the ball.
They’re just a reflection of our plummeting values.
And if we lose the children . . . well, God help us all.
Author notes
Written February 9th, 2006
In a list
A contest entry
- Memories of a Real Past by fantasysmurf.
666 points, ended May 11, 33 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Childhood Memories, Good or Bad by paw-writer.
550 points, ended July 11, 38 entries
Honorable winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 44 of 44
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Oh so true! It seems we were always outside and could entertain ourselves with just a few toys and lots of imagination. Technology is wonderful, but I agree that it is taking the innocence of youth away. I too remember those creepy crawler machines. These are some great memories! Thanks for entering my contest. Blessings, Patty
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Very good points made!
You are so truthful that this was a great read. I enjoyed it very much AND you made it rhyme. Unfortunately, the first line wasnt "I remember when"... But this was well worth the entering and reading - thank you poet
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Sorry about that. This was a pre-write and I couldn't think of how to start it with I Remember When. Glad you enjoyed it anyway.
Mark
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Excellent
Hi Mark, my first comment on all poetry. I loved this poem, there was so much about this poem that jumped out at me,especially the part about 'complicating our lives with more and more stuff' I HATE STUFF!!! I have said for years, the more stuff you have, the unhappier you are. What I do love is that my children are still the children you describe in this poem and I have worked damn hard to keep it that way. Check out my new pics on myspace with my kids playing in the puddles, it might make you smile and remind you of having fun as a kid -
Again, I must appauld you. Well done hun
... You're AMAZING! Reading this just wanted me to jump into your childhood years, my childhood was similar to this, cept the nintendo games were becoming a BIG DEAL then, now the XBOX or whatever is the "it" thing now. My little brother is much more into the video games than I am, the only thing I'm obessed with is the computer (Imagine that) 
... but anyways, Thanks for sharing, I enjoyed reading this... no matter the length, you always make it worthwhile to read
Love you
Your Nerd of a Niece
Sara
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ah, yes, those were the days. riding bikes and meeting up at the park gate, being in the yard before the streetlight flickered on. you bring up a lot of things that are so different now, just like when we were children and our parents thought we had it way too easy, compared to them. all we can do is instill values, no matter what 'games' we had and have, we have to know they all have some sort of rules.
i enjoyed this poem so much. thank you for posting it. -
I remember getting down on my hands and knees in the dirt to play marbles and build roads for our toy cars. You don't see that anymore, nor do you see many snowmen or snowforts during the winter months. It's really a shame. This writing was really good and so on the mark. I don't think I want kids to play hide-n-seek on the neighbors rooftops during the summer evening hours the way we did, but it sure would be nice to see a good ole game of dodge ball and four square.
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ok, as a child of the "kick the can" generation, you sure brought back memories of staying out way past dark without fear. My son,however, did not have that luxary and I also pity him for that. I also agree with the cutting comment...I just do not understand it, well not true I do, I have a psychology degree, but I do not understand how adults could have dropped the ball so badly....nice write and good luck in the contest.
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I know for a fact that if you even raise your voice to your child in public someone yells abuse and threatens to call the 800 # to report you. I have been through this myself So yeah I do know. You can't spank your children, you can't yell or raise your voice in any way. It's all considered abuse. God forbid if you used a belt on a backside or a slap to a rear. That's a sin punishable by life in prison.
I am a single parent with 2 kids. My older sons father died from cancer. And my daughter's dad well he is a dead beat father who has never really spent any time with her, since she was born. He doesn't even help support her. I get no help from him at all. He owes back childsupport, somewhere around $9,000.00. He is close to losing his parental rights if he hasn't already. We have been in court over that.Anyways enough babbling from me
Desyre -
Thanks! Have a great weekend!
Mark -
Your writes never fail to amaze! It's been too long since I wandered over to your page, you put out such great poetry, and this is just one of many! ... Love it.
~T -
Wow!!! this is amazing!! you are sinply incredible here!! and all this is simply a truth no one wants to really aknowledge and work with the situation i see all over the world and even in my neighborhood little girls getting pregnant what does a 13-11 year old girl is doing by getting pregnant where are the parents . . . I know it must be hard to be a parent but isn't that what being a parent is all about making hard desicions for someone who is not truly capable of doing them?? well lif eis hard and it gets harder every year!! this was very nice !!
lots of hugs and kisses GND -
God can't help the children- they took Him out of school.
The life decisions of reprobate minds is not for the better.
(I may say more later... need to get some work done right now.) -
Once again you have brought to light a subject that has evaded most of the adult poplulation. Most will say that they are only trying to give their children what they did not have, I say that you are "giving" them way to much. Nintendo games, game stations, t.v.'s in their rooms with DVD players, stereos, ect. ect. All these are material things that are disquised to keep our children occupied so that we do not have to. Children have become numb to the simplicities of life and "expect" us to give them things even at the cost of embarrasing us in stores. I have brought my children up the way I was. One t.v., one radio, and a door to the outside. I provide the roof, bed, and food for their belly's, I leave it up to them to stretch their own minds, Keep themselves busy with each other and with me. If I allow them to be "babysat" by a t.v., games, or even the radio, I therefore am not raising my children, they are! "I will not lose my children" to society or anything or anyone else. My children understand even at a tender age that they can not have everything they want and when they do get something, (like toys), they are more appreciative for it, even if its something they already have. They look at it as, "now I have two". This was a great poem my friend and I enjoyed reading this one as well. Thanks for sharing. ~val~
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"And if we lose the children, then God help us all."
You took the words right out of my mouth!! Bravo!
We shall continue our dialogue......... suzy
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The real scary thing is the lack of parents at all. Parents now are self-centered and concerned only with their pleasure and their own time...not quality time with kids. They leave them to stare at walls and watch TV, while condoning by silence or inaction their staying home from school, poor grades, and no disipline at all. Kids crave that, but now parents avoid conflict...seeing it as "non-modern" in thinking, avoiding the strap on the backside because our courts convict them for a bruse.
When and where does the abuse stop? Is it in the belt, the slap, the spank, the the the...??? Why can't we define it more and get the limits clear and responsibile and then...
...educate our parents on how to apply them. Education, omg, a chance thing at best in parenting. Who teaches the parents to parent? No one! -
Passionate Desyre,
Thanks for your comments on this. That crossed my mind as I was writing this - that a lot of kids have had terrible, abusive childhoods regardless of the era. And you're absolutely right - things are just out in the open more now. I still think values in general have gone down the toilet and kids are learning too much too early, but I agree with everything you said, too. I'm sorry your childhood was so hard. I hope you're making up for it with lots of happiness now.
Take care,
Mark
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"Prostitots"! lol That's the funniest thing I've heard all week. Incredibly sad and depressing, but funny. haha Great story about your brother, too. I think I stunk up the house pretty good with my Thingmaker a few times, too.
Thanks,
Mark -
Hey Stuart,
Thanks for printing it out for later. I know I'm a bit long-winded. I've tried to be more concise but I just can't help myself. lol -
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for letting me know about the typo on this and your wonderful comments. I'm glad to see that one as young as yourself sees the difference between making up games outside and playing video games inside.
Take care,
Mark -
This is a wonderful piece dear Mark.So true and exactly to the point.Yes,that's how the things are these days.We have more tachnology but we have less fun.Kids were more happy when there were no video games and they spent more time playing out with their friends.
Shahrzad -
Hi Mark
Was just trying to catch up on some Favourites, but this one's a bit longer than I've got time to comment on at the mo; so I've promo'd it for 16 pts, since I likely pinched the points you spent promoting it when opening the file
Have printed it to read (this is my housemate's computer, inter-net ready and we're all on a rota-system using it!! Time for me has run out til 6pm!!) so will pop back with critique for you later
Best wishes
Stu -
Mark,
This is a incredible piece, Kids back then didnt have half the worries and pressures our children do, when there are video games for stealing cars, and for shooting people up, or even the media shows (example Howard Stern) and just click on any sit com these days and youll find this are quite different than the leave it to beaver type families, who always ate dinner as a family, and talked to their children. The pressures in school alone are unbelieveable, not only peer pressure but pressure to be grow up way to fast, leaves little time for stick ball, or tree house building, the invention of cell phones leaves our teen just a phone call away however we never see them then. Broken Marriages gives kids more freedom to run around and play one parent over the other and we end up with either Disney World Daddy or Disney World Mommy syndrome, each parent basically trying to out do the other, the days of set ruls and parents sticking together on these rules are gone. Its a damn shame when these things happen. Our kids should be playying kickball, or red rover rather that car stealing shoot them up types of games that enable them never to leave the house to explore the outside world. Great Poem Mark
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Agreed, agreed, yep, yep...oh, yeah...Too bad some teens(in their mature and ever knowing wisdom) would just poo-poo this and it would be like you're preaching to the choir, man.
This is just so true. Just the other day, I told my 5 and 4 year olds.... "When Mommy was smal, we didn't have home computers, or the internet." Then, when they asked what we did for fun on stormy winter days, I told them that we used our minds. I got a blank stare in return. (sigh) My four year old is pretty good at navigating the internet, and my son is alreay through the limited video games they have(the TV ready games that have a couple games on a joystick you plug in to the TV)
Then again, I seem to remember my parents telling me the "we never had a tv while groing up"
Edited on Feb 10, 7:22 because 'had to add a line to make it understandable'.
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Mark this was a wonderful piece. I know I am younger than you by a lot but it still makes me think of my younger days...I have never really liked the tv or video games much and besides my parents wouldn't get cable or satellite until i was 12. I spent my time outside playing with my cousins, riding my bike, spending time with my parents, jumping in the creek in my back yard....(Yes I'm from the backwoods country type place, don't laugh) I miss those days, you know don't get me wrong obviously my childhood hasn't been all roses but it wasn't as horrible as it could have been.
YOu did make a typo in this paragraph though:
The Internet is a true marvel of the modern age
And when I first starting using it, I was impressed.
Now all I see are kids learning too much too fast.
All that information is like a weight on their chest.
Starting should be started.....other than that it was good. You did a great job with this.
Sharon
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Awesome
Sigh That was a wonderful poem, a beautiful, yet depressing topic. Its true. .Every generation society weighs down kids with more expectations, more responsibility.. .Even in high school I miss the elementary days when I played and was innocent. . Was wonderful to read and made a clear point that definintely needs to be heard. -
Wonderful write Mark with lots of good advice seen from experience .I thank you for the trip[ down memeory lane it was a very enjoyable read
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increadble!
I believe that's all that needs to be said. -
I think the point is the childerns need lots of quality time! Mark, did you grow up on my block? I don't remember you in my tree house club or leaf fort... baking clay balls to shoot at each other from our wrist rockets... If you held your trash can lid shield just write in your anchor hand and waited ready till just after they shot and aimed at the bare legs... And we had old rope to play with... Made our own skyhooks and slid down hanging from a short loop. Once i used the fork of a limb. It went exceedingly fast. quite a rush. And I got a tremendous round of applause for the 3 flips i did on landing...
Edited on Feb 09, 8:30 p.m. because ''. -
this was very well done, and very true. even in my 18 short years i think things were much better when i was a kid. i remember my brother had those creepy crawler things, until he burned the pan and then it stunk up the house and that toy was gone... i've heard a term on the radio for the young girls that dress innappropriately : prostitots. you can see where that came from of course.
one thing that confused me a bit : "Kids don't need quality time, they need quantity"
wouldn't it be the other way around? they need quality time, not a lot of useless time?
SH -
I hate to bust anyones bubble but even life back in those days wasn't all that safe and not all children were protected from the boogie man. I'm prolly older than you are.In fact I know I am and My childhood was nothing like that. I was sexually abused in my own home when I was 6. We werent allowed to watch tv unless the big bad man turned it on. It was his after all. We werent allowed to play with the other children in the neighborhood. We didnt go to school activities. We were pretty much treated as nothing. I think now adays just more things are brought out in the open than back in the old days. Now people are more aware of whats going on. A nice safe childhood like that would have been like heaven to many kids. I would bet that I am not the only one from the old days that didnt have an enjoyable childhood as some kids did.
None the less, you did a wonderful job on this poem. Very well done.
Good luck in the contest
Desyre -
cool poem, reminds me of something this guy I like would say(the beginning part anyway)
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I hate to sound like some stuffy, old carbuncle
No you don't hate it, what are you talking about? When I read your poetry there is a feeling that I am reading the Norman Rockwell of poetry. It is not really Pleasantville - closer really to the values of the Andy Griffith Show. But it is interesting because at its base, these poems are all about one thing -integrity. Integrity of our society and the individuals who make up that society and how those values have been skewed by material wealth and avarice. These poems are reminders. Even the style is in simple ABCB rhymes that takes the reader easily through the piece that probably needs about 5 to 8 stanzas pruned and its thoughts fashioned into another piece. However, understanding when you get a thought in your head and you start writing, gracious, one hour later and the pen has run out of ink, it is difficult to wave bye-bye to some of the children. Still it is too long and needs an edit. That said, it is good for what it is attempting to say and to who you want to read it.
David
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Fantastic and I feel I got a blessing reading this. So much truth spoke here. Thats why my son stays on the move I try to keep him in an old fashion world. Just recently, I could of bought him the 3 wheeler he wanted, but instead he built his own from stratch and I am so proud. I felt it showed him how capabled he can be and that if he puts his mind to it, there are lots of things he can do. Hes 15 now.
Thank you for this heart warming work.
Rose -
Wonderful!! After reading this...and if it were not already dark outside, I'd grab the little ones and a few kites to fly and spend the day at the beach! Just the little ones and me. Thank you for this magical ride back in time!
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LOL This is awesome! So much has truly changed when it comes to child rearing....very sad really. Thank you for this wonferful creation...just fantatic work. Best of luck!
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Bring back the birch rod
Even as a child of Gen X (1970's) there is so much change I see around me ... and none of it is for the good. It makes me glad, now, that I've stuck to my guns and refused to have children - why should I bring them into the world, only to be able to offer them less than I had when I was their age? A moving write on the decline (yes I mean decline) of our society as a whole. -
Another golden one!
This is so true. Today the power was out and I spent much more time with my family than when the power is on as normal and I can be on the PC. I love modern conveniences... that's how I am able to stay in touch with some of my friends! lol!
But it's also why I've lost touch with a lot!
Have you ever read the work of poet Catherine Cookson?
"I suppose free enterprise is to blame for this mess -
Complicating our lives with more and more stuff.
But it seems the more we have, the less we live,
So now it’s my turn to say, “Enough is enough.” ..." reminded me of her writing so much!
Mark, this write has a steady rhyme scheme, great flow and a great message.
Like I always say:
There's something wrong when we create machines that sing our children to sleep at night and toys to teach and talk to them.
Marissa. -
Excellent and Awesome
t was an excellent poem... I loved it...
It is very true and i see what you mean. My mum always told me how they had fun when they were kids and teenagers and all and the TV wasn't that important. My younger sister watched the TV 24/7 and she would watch it 30/7 if it were possible You seem to have had a lot of fun time when you were a kid too...
I loved these lines, they are soo real and soo true:
"I didn’t have five-hundred television channels.
I had seven. That’s all there were in those days.
We didn’t have a big-screen plasma TV, either.
We had a grainy, 12-inch, black and white RCA.
That was a blessing because with nothing to watch,
I spent more time outside in the fresh air and sun
Playing stick-ball, football or Frisbee with friends.
We never once ran out of new ways to have fun.
Children’s lives seem to revolve around television now.
And video games are amazing. No doubt about that.
But I didn’t have depraved images polluting my mind
And it was very rare to see another kid who was fat."
The poem was long but i loved it all the way, and i agree with you on many points...
I'm really glad you wrote this..
Excellent choice of words and awesome rhyming... EXCELLENT POEM!!!
Keep on writing and good luck in the contest, i really hope you win!
Nooni -
turn back the hands of time, indeed.
OMG, this is incredibly well written and so true. My mom is 82, i am 38 and this is exactly what i hear from her. This poem speaks volumes of honest truth. It is a shame we current generations have so much lax and immoralism from social changes. I think it ironic how the world has become and so many of the political activists push for laws to protect. We have failed to realize PAPER doesnt protect people....PEOPLE PROTECT PEOPLE. I am going to print this and show it to my mom. She will truly appreciate this. GREAT JOB!!! -
Well stated! My first grandchild (a grandson) will enter the world in early June. It frightens me to think what kind of a world he will grow up in. As a Baby Boomer, I still remember a time when the world was much safer and simpler. It will never be that way again. I can only tell my grandson stories of how things were in "the olden days."
Great write!
Cris
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Excellent
An honor to be the first to commend you on a wonderful write, maybe because I am even older than you this all rings so true. My Mother knew my every move, I thought she had sonar hearing! They even locked the liquor cabinet when we were in our teens! We were disciplined for bad behavior, watching TV not an option, watching the clouds, the insects, the cars go by, or actually playing physical games was more like it. We didn't learn about sex on TV, we learned from our unsophisticated friends. Or Mom and Dad had the talk with you. My gut instinct, especially since joining AP where I actually get to see the youth of the world venting, I believe we are losing the children. They scream it in their writings, they say it out loud. I feel for them, I really do, they will never know that world we knew, how sad it is gone. Your poem left me feeling melancholy, sometimes you see things and just don't want to. Bravo!!!
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