To wonder how our parents generation coped without childrens tv

[anicegreentea]

I know its not the ideal parenting strategy. But i have toddler and baby and often find myself wondering how my mum coped when baby is grizzling and toddler is bored!

We had to have a reason to be in the house from about the age of 5. We did have TV though, I remember Saturday morning cartoons and eating cereal in front of the TV.

I am with MrsD. When you were off school, it was Rainbow, Pipkins, then Crown Court (I strangely enjoyed this as a child), then The Sullivans. And a bit later House Party! Oh I forgot Pebble Mill at One! All of this mixed with Lucozade and and a new Famous Five book if I was really lucky ill.

There were never tv in the mornings in my day - not til they invented Swap Shop.

I wonder more about my grandparents' generation. My maternal gran had 11 kids and my paternal gran had 6. Neither had any mod cons. When i've felt dog tired with my 1 and 4 year old I think about them and my mind boggles!

Hmm I might have been allowed that Porto and Mrs DV after two days in bed. It was during the recovery stage. I even remember Emmerdale coming on after Pebble Mill at those times and watching the Test Card before Play School came on.

Emmerdale? Never....It might have been Take the High Road, or one of those Welsh programmes...

I remember Listen with mother.
hectors house.
I can only remember kids tv being on in the after noon. about an hour and a half of it, but it was real tv, things like follyfoot/magpie and blue peter and later Grange hill.

oh I like take the high road, it was scottish

Have a reminisce!

Actually I am just remembering the BananaSplits, The Monkees and the Double |Deckers.....

The cedar tree and anyone remember the drama 'the changes' where pylons or electricity went mad?? Scared the crap out of me.

Loved 'I dream of jeannie' and 'bewitched' but sooooo sexist.

I remember Rainbow, Pipkins, Mr Trimble.. and the The Sullivans.. followed by Pebble Mill..

I rememer Listen with Mother and Hector's House. But I was quite big when Hector's House came on.

I'm sure it was Emmerdale after Pebble Mill (don't remember take the "high road". Circa 1975 (remember Anglian TV Porto - cabled in and you could get the London channels I'm sure it was emmerdale a really rural version like the Archers for the telly.

I am 41 and we didn't have a TV as my parents had a moral objection! I read a lot

I used to watch the schools programmes when I was 3/4, as that's all that was on in the morning. I probably learned a few things anyway.

What a lovely trip down memory lane.

I must have been around 5 years old at the time of Jamie and The Magic Torch and Bagpuss and used to love watching them.
I also used to love watching Mr Benn, and CrackerJack ("eeee, I could crush a grape!" )

I'm fifty and we watched children's tv about lunchtime and early evening. Black and white tv. I was amazed when I saw colour television.

We also went out for hours and hours during the day - up into the hilsl amongst the ferns, woods, rocks etc. We had a ball. We didn't have a watch but instinctively knew when to go home (dinner time). We played out in all weathers and when it was very cold you almost got frostbite your feet were so cold. My granny wouldn't let us too near the fire too quickly or your toes might drop off!

We also chapped on neighbours doors and asked if we could take their baby out for a walk in the pram. They let us. We were about eight or nine at the time. We had our instructions to stay on the pavement and don't go further than the end of the street. It was better than having a doll!

I also remember the women having a rather sophisticated way of wrapping babies up in a tartan shawl where they kind of sat on one hip and the women had one hand free to deal with the other "weans" or whatever they needed to do.

I loved the sixties!

Yes - we used to be outside most of the time - especially in the summer. There were NO CARS though. We used to play tennis and ride our bikes in the street. Next door had a Reliant Robin which we were under strict instructions to avoid at all costs. We used to wander about the local fields and build camps/go blackberrying. No-one worried about abduction/paedophiles/perverts etc. I still swear the risk is no higher/lower these days, no matter what recent news reports might say.

I can remember being 10/11 and going off for the day with my Girl Guide friend equipped with kindling to build a fire/penknife. We went off to the local woods and realised when we got their that we forgot a tin opener for our beans and sausages. So we walked to the nearest house and knocked to ask to borrow one. My dd is nearly 9 - I could nearly FAINT at the thought of her doing any of this.

I gave her a lit tea light to stick in a pumpkin by the front door the other week and DH nearly hyperventilated.

This may sound like the ramblings of a Very Old Bonkers Person but I don't recall "getting bored" being anything that would be attributed to a 2 year old when I was a child. I'm not saying they weren't bored. Just that the very idea would be seen as risible.

I can remember being really, really bored - on a rainy Sunday afternoon, when there was only Batman to look forward to. My nan used to do the ironing whilst listening to forces favourites, or something with Pete Murray. We were firmly told - only boring people get bored. I swear this is why I learnt to read really well.

We used to be out all the time too - riding bikes for miles through fields, meeting up with friends and making camps on top of haystacks - and jumping in the sea off the sea wall and avoiding the rusty iron railings underneath because we knew where they were. Yikes .

I still tell my children "only boring people get bored".

Portofino - exactly the same. I was bored crapless most of the time and dreaded school holidays, but I did become a voracious reader

Only boring people get bored is one of my favourite sayings. I drummed it in so hard that I don't have to use it at all any more .