>>Valley Patriot>> |
When they kept their yard clean and swept the walk it showed pride and commitment to the neighborhood and the town. It was a time when people would pick up rubbish off the street in front of their homes. Those are the same days when you used to speak to your neighbor and know everyone’s name. It was never easy to get away with anything when you not only had to look out for your own folks, but also you knew that Mrs. Rohan, Mr. Smith and Miss Klein who lived in the neighborhood would tell your parents. Of course, one of them might happen to mention it when they hung out the clothes on the line. Then, of course your grandparents lived upstairs in the three family houses so you always had two sets of parents. I guess these were the earliest Block Watches. How many of us know our neighbor’s names? Whenever anyone new would
move in to the neighborhood, the neighbors would bake a
lovely cake or pan of brownies to welcome them. I
recently read that a new family was greeted with a
petition. This is perhaps a last resort action and not a
first. Neighbors should watch out for each other. There
should be block watches and neighborhood lists with names
and telephone numbers to be able to alert them if you see
something suspicious. People used to know their elderly
neighbors and always offer grab a few things for them
when they went to the store. I will never forget what my
parent’s used to say. “You don’t need good
friends, you need good neighbors.” My own neighbor
always tells me that “by the time you call your
family when you need something it may be too late. Your
neighbors are closer.” Those were the good old days when people kept score and if you lost you knew it. We didn’t have cell phones or even Swatches. We had the street light. Everyone knew, whether the game was finished or not that when the street lights came on, we had to ‘high tale it’ home. There were never any adults to check how many ups you had. Some how we just figured it out. Did we fight? You bet. But some how, we managed to get through and start a new game the next day. My children will never know about playing ball without a coach. Today, seeing the sidewalks covered with snow and the elderly and children walking in the street is something I don’t remember growing up. People used to take responsibility for the walks in front of their houses. I don’t think there was an ordinance or potential for fines. I think people just knew it was the right thing to do. What happened to that understanding? It would be a wonderful thing if everyone took responsibility for the area around their own home. Our children would be safe from traffic. Our elders would be less likely to slip and fall. I don’t remember all the much a do about noise as a child. Today people seem to be more sensitive about noise than they did 30 years ago. Noise ordinances have replaced common sense and courtesy. We all know you shouldn’t mow the lawn at 6:00 am but the ordinance insures it. Some children were skate boarding a couple of years ago and were told by an adult to be quiet. Why? They were on manual not power boards and being kids. You know, having fun. What a novel idea. When did we all become so noise sensitive? Some things need to be backed by legislation to insure safety and quality of life. There is no dispute in that. But, other things seem to be born out of a response to the inability to cooperate and compromise. The past was not without its problems. But, I think we had more pride in our neighborhoods and more freedom to be young. I miss those times. *Send your questions
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As a child
growing up in Connecticut during the sixties and
seventies, I remember thinking how strange it was that my
mother and grandmother used to sweep the walks. “Why
bother?” I used to ask myself. “It’s
outside.” Now, as an adult, I see that simple action
was symptomatic of the way things used to be and ought to
be now.