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TBT: The Innocent Years

By
Real Estate Agent

http://www.myrljeffcoat.com


Without stating the year, I'll just say it was a long long time ago!  I was 7 years of age when these pictures were taken!

Please note how skinny my legs were.  Yes, I was that scrawny as a kid!  You will notice how tanned I was. We lived a mere two blocks from the neighborhood park and swimming pool.  Until I was 6, I often begged to go swimming in the pool, but was not taken.  Finally, I took a dime out of my piggy bank, and went swimming.  My parents had the cops out looking for me, because I had simply disappeared.  When they finally found me frolicking at the pool, my mother didn't know whether to hug or kill me!

However, the next morning she took me shopping for my very first swim suit, so I wouldn't need to go swimming in a pair of shorts and a blouse, like the previous day. And afterwards, there were always plenty of dimes to go swimming on days in summer!

When I look back at how safe our neighborhood was back then, I could almost cry that children today don't have that same freedom, because we fear so for their safety.  When I look at the pictures above, and remember those innocent times, I wonder, what happened to Merica!

Posted by

Myrl Jeffcoat ActiveRain Signature
  

Comments (25)

Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Mimi - I think I might have!  I learned to swim that summer.  And, I continue to swim laps to this day!  I'm convinced I was a fish in a previous life.

Tom - They truly were.  Imagine this for a moment.  At the beginning of every Easter vacation from the time I was 12, I'd jump on a Grayhound Bus, in downtown Sacramento, and ride the 90 miles or so to Turlock, to spend the week with an aunt and uncle.  I did this alone, and was never harmed.  I met some of the most interesting people along the way.  I can't even imagine doing that as a kid today!

Aug 28, 2014 02:33 PM
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Those were innocent times Myrl, I remember riding my bike 3 miles by myself to serve mass at that age.  I dont think I would have let my kids do that though.

Aug 28, 2014 02:54 PM
William Johnson
Retired - La Jolla, CA
Retired

Hi Myrl, Glad to know that independent streak wasn't learned but you were born with it. I think that must have made life really interesting as you grew up and became the amazing woman you are today. The picture is wonderul.

Aug 28, 2014 03:01 PM
Christopher Lotte
Coldwell Banker - Lithopolis, OH
Central Ohio Real Estate Agent, 614-390-9243

oh those are the old good days,

you are pretty and skinny back then :)

have a great day!

Aug 28, 2014 08:58 PM
Roger D. Mucci
Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH
Lets shake things up at your home today!

Love the photo Mryl.  Sad the way things have changed.  When I was a kid of 7 or 8 years old, it was nothing for us to get on a bus and go downtown to shop....you won't find that happening today.

Aug 28, 2014 09:00 PM
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

Myrl, thanks for sharing those wonderful pictures and reminding me of some wonderful times that I wish were still possible.

Aug 28, 2014 09:04 PM
Sheila Anderson
Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ
The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Myrl. I just love reading your posts. Your style and the ease of writing grab me every time. You are a photographer but a writer too. Loved this.

Aug 28, 2014 10:51 PM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Bob - So true!  Kids were able to just do thing more independently then.  I live around the corner from a grammer school.  When my kids were young, they walked to school.  Today, at the hours that school begins and ends, the streets in front of the school is overloaded with cars.  Parents now drop off and pick up their kids.  That didn't simply wasn't done in the past.

William - I don't think I was too different from other children of my age.  I think it may have been easier to learn independence in those days.  Today parents are almost required to helicoptor over their young to keep them safe.

Christopher - Yes, I got the skinny genes in the family.  It lasted until my last born.  Then, I began to fill out a bit!

Roger - Same here.  I could hop on a bus a block and a half from home and ride to downtown and shop.  We thought nothing of it.  

Gabe - I think children today are robbed of part of their childhood.  It probably takes a bit longer for them to learn and gain independence because of it.

Sheila - I'm glad I can provide a little enjoyment for you!

Aug 28, 2014 10:57 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thanks for sharing your memories and your photographs.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Aug 28, 2014 11:38 PM
Donna Foerster
HomeSmart Realty Group - Parker, CO
Metro Denver Real Estate Assistant

Oh Myrl, I miss the comfort of days gone by. I worry about my grandkiddos all the time.

Aug 29, 2014 02:51 AM
Robert Bob Gilbert
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties - Katy, TX
Your Katy TX ( West of Houston) Real Estate Expert

Myrl, 

Nice story and I do like the pictures. We use to run the neighborhood when I was kid and it was not a good area. City kids back then were street savvy and could disappear immediately when they were in their own neighborhood as they knew all the hiding places and shoirtcuts, etc. . Times have not changed for better that is for certain. Children today have so many risks. 

Aug 29, 2014 04:00 AM
Dale Bledsoe
Crown Key Realty - Tracy, CA
Realtor in Tracy, California

Simply put, that is a great story with great pictures. When I was a junior in HS I paid $25.00 for a summer pass to our local pool. What a great summer. Unfortuantely it was Ohio and summer is pretty darn short. Very nice post this morning.

Aug 29, 2014 05:11 AM
Karen Kruschka
RE/MAX Executives - Woodbridge, VA
- "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS"

Myrl Jeffcoat   The planter in the foyer says 60's to me - they were very popular here in many home styles

Aug 29, 2014 05:12 AM
Don Sabinske
Don Sabinske, Sabinske & Associates Inc. - Zimmerman, MN
Sabinske & Associates Inc.

I can understand your feelings, Myrl.  And, what great photos.  You have a lot of great memories to treasure!

Aug 29, 2014 05:29 AM
Marshall Enterprises
Marshall Enterprises - Saint Michael, MN
Antiques, Lawn Care, and Trashouts

This is so sweet.  You are adorable, just like now!  And, I agree, the days of innocence like our youth seemed to have faded.  And, that is a shame.

Aug 29, 2014 07:07 AM
Ginny Gorman
RI Real Estate Services ~ 401-529-7849~ RI Waterfront Real Estate - North Kingstown, RI
Homes for Sale in Southern RI and beyond

Myrl, I had skinny legs just like you!  Oh those were the days were they not...I wish I could share my yet to be conceived & born grand kids a part of our yester year!

Aug 29, 2014 08:12 AM
Nick T Pappas
Assoc. Broker ABR, CRS, SFR, e-Pro, @Homes Realty Group, Broker/Providence Property Mgmnt, LLC Huntsville AL - Huntsville, AL
Madison & Huntsville Alabama Real Estate Resource

Myrl, I did things when I was younger that I most likely wouldn't do now as an adult.  I was a different world...the crazies were around even back then...just not near as many of them. Love the photo...knew it was you the second I saw it!

Aug 29, 2014 08:14 AM
Susan Haughton
Long and Foster REALTORS (703) 470-4545 - Alexandria, VA
Susan & Mindy Team...Honesty. Integrity. Results.

I can remember a few bus rides as a kid I would not think of taking today.  It is sad the "progress" we have made.  Love your photos - you were such a cutie. 

Aug 29, 2014 09:34 AM
Yolanda Cordova-Gilbert
Richmond, TX

Myrl,

 It is so sad to remember that there are so many weirdo's out there, I will never forget Sandy Hook I used to worry about things like that when my kids were little though this did not happen as much as it does now!

Aug 29, 2014 09:52 AM
Bette Gottwald
UNITED REAL ESTATE | Central PA - Mechanicsburg, PA
"Bet"on Central PA Real Estate!

Myrl, We were fortunate to have grown up during this time period.  Yes, life was very different then compared to today, because there was such much emphasis placed on marriage and family.  Thank you for the beautifully written post.

Sep 04, 2014 01:49 PM