Remember in the olden days when Labor Day was the first day of school? You’d get up in the dark, put on new clothes, wear shoes for the first time in months and say, “Mom, these shoes are too tight!” to which she’d respond, “They are fine. You just aren’t used to wearing shoes”.
Then you’d stand out in front of the house with your lunch box (mine was Mary Poppins, and although I didn’t see the movie, I did have the record) and a cat or dog for a photo.
Photos were a big deal in those days, taken to commemorate Events rather than for routine and systematic documentation of everyday life. None of us knew what to do with our faces or our hands or our bodies when a camera was looking at us. Today all kids can instinctively arrange their bodies into professional look poses and with their perfectly straightened teeth and the confidence of a supermodel, they all look naturally beautiful.
Now school starts in early August when it is still hot. I think everyone wears shorts to school now, which were forbidden in the olden days except for P.E., which was required from 7th grade on.
I am very old-fashioned. There are no drawing lessons in July or August, and we resume on the Tuesday after Labor Day. (I even wear shoes, real shoes, rather than Tevas or Crocs and if you want, I can pose awkwardly with my cats for a photo.)
Anyone want to take drawing lessons? I have a few openings. . .
Back to work, all y’all!
8 Comments
I love this one, Jana! Although my father did try to capture our everyday life in the 1930s and early 40s with a his state-of-the-art wind-up motion camera that recorded us either running at comic pace or slowly winding down to the end of the frame. And we were even more awkward than we were when stills of events were taken!
Louise, those old movies are just hilarious! Thanks for the memories.
This totally made me chuckle as I can relate (we are the same age as you well know!). I never thought of myself as old fashion but there’s always a first! Coastal Girl
Coastal Girl, I believe you have learned how to beautifully arrange your body and face for a camera, just like the young ‘uns!
Back in my day–and that’s many days ago–every school started the Tuesday after Labor Day, and summer break was about the 2nd week of June. And we didn’t get 2 weeks off at Christmas or “Spring Break” either!
I think my lunch pail (real metal back then, with glass in the thermos!) was Roy Rogers. #tomboy
Dress code? Oh, yeah. Skirts below the knee. Shorts only in gym, where on Friday you cleaned out your gym locker and took that smelly heap of cotton fabric home to wash. For mother to wash, that is.
Ah, the good ol’ days!
Sharon, our memories are fairly parallel here, except I didn’t know who Roy Rogers was when I was a kid. And now I wear a skirt below the knee almost every day – my choice.
WOW were did the time go ? seems like just yesterday. I’m old.
Lupe, you may be old, but I am older!
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