SHOCK WAVES

When historians and sociologists look back in about 50 years, they may determine that the Baby Boomer generation was blessed to live in the time they did. More so than any other.

After WWII, it seems that Americans were richer than they had been and happier. Which resulted in well, a boom in the number of babies born from approximately 1946-1958.

Fathers worked, mothers stayed home, factories produced and children growing up in these times had plenty of playmates. Neighborhoods were neighborly. Kids had clubs and clubhouses instead of gangs. Outside games and board games. Night time games.

Laws were laws and respect for others' property were the way it was. When I was growing up, I know we had a key to our house. I just didn't know where it was. I never had one and our house was rarely locked. Even when I was in junior college and keeping some pretty late hours, when I returned home, the door was open.

Now before you get the idea that this entry is highly romanticized, I realize that it wasn't idyllic. Remember, I wrote "women stayed home". Most, certainly did. I didn't include Blacks and other minorities whose basic rights were denied them, who for the most part were ignored. Including women, who if they did work, most often received less pay that their male counterparts.

So maybe a caveat is in order. When historians and sociologists look back at the Baby Boomer generation in about 50 years, they'll say the best of times did indeed occur then--if you were White males.