Growing up in the 60's

     As a child I was somewhat shy but inquisitive.  Growing up with an upbringing in the catholic religion didn’t foster enthusiasm for questions from religious authorities.  It almost felt like it was sinful to ask questions that would contradict the religious teachings.  We were just expected to do as we were told without thinking.  We were taught by the St. Joseph Nuns and a few lay teachers and in those days they ruled with an iron fist, or book or ruler or whatever was nearby.  We liked some of the nuns that taught us but as you might expect others seemed overbearing almost mean.  They probably weren’t but that was the feeling I got. 

     The pastor of the church would occasionally visit the school, my Dad thought he was a good guy but he was a crabby, arrogant and aloof to kids.   At that time all I knew was that I didn’t like him.  My Dad told me he smoked colored cigarettes (yellow, pink, blue, etc.), really, why and who cares.  Unlike the pastor the younger priest were much more down to earth.

     I would daydream a lot as a young boy about endless number of topics, which I’m sure many others did as well, so consequently sometimes I felt like I was in a mental fog.  None of which was related to the topic that was being taught in class.  Teachers frequently told my parents that I daydreamed a lot, which was true and guess what, I still do.

     I had a good family life with a big extended family but with strict religious rules that sometimes didn’t make any sense to me.  The rules in our family were stricter than some of my friends but I’m not complaining about that because all families have differences and there is more than one way to raise kids.  On the plus side a strong religious upbringing gave me a strong & positive outlook of right and wrong even though I didn’t agree with all the teachings. 

     We had a comfortable middle class life and even took vacations (somewhat unusual for many families at that time).  I always enjoyed the vacations especially when my cousin would come along.  My cousin Kath was more uninhibited than me so that seem to lighten up the mood and make the trips more fun.  Vacations were just about having fun and trying new things.  We would just go and leave the rules behind.  We never had elaborate vacations but we didn’t need too because fun didn’t have a price tag.

     We had many challenges but we lived less complicated lives than kids of today. 

     Technology is wonderful but sometimes it's nice to turn back the clock even if it's only for a day or two.