Hi Everyone:
I’m the new guy on the block, or in this case the forum. I was walking through the mall yesterday looking at all the new techno stuff on the market when I began to think how simple life was back in the 50’s just before I became 13 (I turned 12 in 1959.). My Dad had a 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. job and my Mom was a true homemaker or stay-at-home Mom. We’d come home from school, my sister and I, and Mom would offer us a snack and then we could go out and play for an hour before doing our homework. After that, dinner was always at 5:30, just after Howdy Doody and later on Bandstand and then my Dad would read the paper, Mom and Sis did the dishes and of course, I also had some small meaningless chore that my Dad would assign me just to help me build character, as he put it. Then came the evening of TV after Huntley-Brinkley. And between 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. was bedtime. That’s enough for now, but I wanted to introduce myself to you by sharing how my typical day went back in the 50’s. You can make your own conparison as to how the kids’s life is today. Was mine better? Probably most would say, “No, just different.” But, for me, I would never trade it for what goes on today with my Grandkids. Have a great day!!
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welcome … sounds simular to my day as a kid but I had a lot more chores normally 3 hours worth after school and an hour before school… and never heard of your programmes are you american ? but then I didnt watch that much telly back then …I was an avid reader.
Nice to meet you RJB, and a warm welcome to the forum, they are all nice folks here and easy to get along with.
I just turned 13 in 1959 and I’m inclined to agree with you that times were happier then, I read in a recent survey that the 50’s was the most happy and contented decade of the last century.
Hi RJB, welcome to the forum from another newcomer, I only joined yesterday myself. 
I was 10 in 1959 and would go back to those days in a heartbeat given the choice - I hope they show old vids in heaven. 
I think you had better quality TVs in America in those days than we did here though, I remember the telly was on the blink a lot back in the day. :roll: a swift thump on the side was usually the 1st thing my dad would try to stop the screen picture rolling round and round in ever faster circles. 
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Hi RJB a warm welcome to the forum!
I would also say children had a happier life back in the 50’s compared to today. We made our own fun and learned how to respect our elders.
We didn’t have a TV until I had finished school, my Dad said it would have been too much of a distraction for me at that time!
Hello Robert
I’m a fairly newbie too and have been chatting away like a mad person since joining. I blame it on a cold I have ~ stuck indoors and bored witless.
It’s nice here ~ hope you enjoy it
Hello Robert welcome, I look forward to chatting with you .
Hello Robert and welcome
I joined a few days ago (along with some friends) and love it here, the people are so friendly and you’ll soon find that out for yourself. 
The 50’s to me was a magical time and i had a wonderful childhood thanks to loving parents and family. People today have what i call a “choice overload” and seem to trivialise gifts on their birthdays/christmas etc. We live in a throwaway society and not much is appreciated any more.
Gone are the days when we (at Christmas) got excited at a half-crown in the bottom of our pillow-cases with a tin of toffees,colouring books and crayons,some fruit and a posh tin of toffees.:-p
Hope you’ll come back and chat some more.
Differences
As I read over the replies, it has become apparent to me that because many of you are from Europe and I am from the U.S. we have many differences as to what when on during the 50’s. My Christmasses were somewhat different, in that we were given different types of presents, but nonetheless,none of us received the expensive items that kids get today. I am amazed when I see the “haul” that my Grandkids get for Christmas. I would imagine that my daughter spend at least $1000.00 on each of her two boys last Christmas. To me, this is just unbelievable.
Good morning Robert matey and welcome
Hi there Robert and welcome from Pats…
BTW - give me the 50’s and 60’s anyday… loved American TV back then (in the 60’s) and the cars…
Welcome Robert and hope you enjoy the mixture of people on this forum. We do have mostly the UK people on here but we do get people from the USA and Australia so there is a good mixture of comments and views.
Loved the way you said (I turned 12 in 1959) Like me but better than saying I was born in 1947 
We didnt get a TV until 1957 and it only had one channel which was part time as they didnt have 24 hour TV like they do nowadays. You didnt need to use a remote control in those days.
My favourite programme around the 1960’s was Champion the Wonder Horse as I always wanted to be a Cowgirl.
Hope you enjoy your time on here and the subjects to comment on are
varied which keeps the old brain going. Take care.
OMG Champion the Wonderhorse !
I can hear Frankie Laine singing in my head right now 
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Adore - Frankie Laine - as a singer of course
Anyone else remember Micky Dolenz (of the Monkees) as ‘Corky’ the circus boy???
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Hi rjb ,I’m a fairly recent member too, love the site, we didn’t get a TV until 1959 when I was 10 and it was rented, as were ev’ryone else’s, but I never watched it much, always out and about with me mates, I was born in the UK and have now lived in Australia for 40 yrs
Sadly … yes 
I don’t remember when my parents had their first TV but I had a best friend who’s father worked for Associated Rediffusion ? (TV company) and they had a telly with ITV !!!
We used to watch Robin Hood 
Just remembered ~ as a child, my OH was not allowed to watch ITV. Not sure why
Hello Robert and welcome to the forum. By the end of the 50s, I was 4 years old so I don’t remember much about them. Like the others, I didn’t watch much tv - too busy playing outside, climbing trees, borrowing apples off trees 
going off and picking blackberries for my mum to make pies and jam with, risking life and limb on my lovely go-kart (that had no brakes other than my feet) and walking everywhere on my stilts cos I thought it looked cool
I used to love The Monkees! One of my favourite programmes when I was very young was Tinger and Tucker (think it was only aired in the Midlands) and one of my earliest tv memories was The Wooden Tops - anyone remember that?