Here's a little piece sent to me by Fred Atkins who apparently got it from Lee Coyle.  Fred thought it should be shared with everyone.  It does make one think about how much has changed.

Subject: Age

    How old is Grandma?  Stay with this -- the answer is
    at the end -- it will blow you away.

    One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events.  The grandson asked his
    grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.

    The Grandma replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots,
    frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and the Pill. There was no radar, credit cards, laser beams or
    ball-point pens.

    Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes dryers, and the clothes were hung
    out to dry in the fresh air and man hadn't yet walked on the moon.

    Your Grandfather and I got married first - and then lived together.  Every family had a father and a
    mother.  Until I was 25, I called every man older than   I, 'Sir' - and after I turned 25, I still called
    policemen and every man with a title, "Sir.' This was before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers,
    daycare centers, and group therapy.

    Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good
    judgment, and common sense.  We were taught to know
    the difference between right and wrong and to stand up
    and take responsibility for our actions.  Serving your
    country was a privilege; living in this country was a
    bigger privilege.  We thought fast food was what
    people ate during Lent.

    Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along
    with your cousins.

    Draft dodgers were people who closed their front doors
    when the evening breeze started.

    Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in
    the evenings and we never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys
    wearing earrings.  Long hair meant classical music. 

    We listened to the Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.  And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.

    If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk.  The term 'making out' referred to how you did
    on your school exam.  Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.  We had 5&10-cent
    stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.  Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a
    streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.  And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on
    enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.  You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 but who could
    afford one?  Too bad, because gas was 11cents a gallon.

    In my day, "grass" was mowed, "coke" was a cold drink, "pot" was something your mother cooked in, and "rock
    music" was your grandmother's lullaby.

    "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office, "chip" meant a piece of wood, "hardware" was found in a
    hardware store, and "software" wasn't even a word.  And we were the last generation to actually believe
    that a woman needed a husband to have a baby.

    No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.....  and how old do you
    think I am ???.....  I bet you have this old lady in mind...  you are in for a shock!  Read on to see --
    pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.
 
*********************************************************************
    This Woman would be only 58 years old!  Born in 1944.

footnote from the webmaster - Just in case we begin to think of that time as the "good old days," there were a few other things about grandma's birth year that should be noted.  The armed forces were still segregated, though everyone of every color fought in World War II.  There were no women in the graduating classes of Harvard, Yale and Princeton law or medical schools.  In 46 of the 48 states a man could beat his wife (or a wife beat her husband) without creating grounds for divorce (assault yes, divorce no) and at least 20 states had laws against people of different races getting married.