What did our mums used to do?

[CantFindTheBeat]

I'm 55

I spend so much of my down time titting around on MN.

I have a great job. Great friends.
But i waste so much time on social media and probably trying to distract myself from reality when I should be doing something productive.

I remember my mum cooking, reading and working but never wasting time.

What do you remember? MN and the like are surely pleasure and curse in equal measure?

My mum used to play the martyr and moan when we wanted to tell her something about our day in the middle of Neighbours.

Used to sit and relax/chill, be with your own thoughts, more I think. Rather than going on phone I mean.
And read

I know what you mean. I feel guilty about the amount of time I spend on my phone, then I remember my mum reading books constantly and I think it's a similar thing. I don't know if I do less cleaning, probably as I've always been more untidy than my mum!

My mum was often with friends or neighbours, running errands, TV, reading.

My mum would read books and magazines in her downtime, still does!

My mum chatted on the landline to friends for hours and also popped round to friends and gossiped. No judgement from me about it but I don’t think she wasted less time.

Readers digest & Mills & Boon.

More errands needed running physically as you couldn’t do them online like now. So you had to go to the bank, post office etc. Cleaning, decorating, shopping. Cooking proper meals as convenience meals didn’t exist in the same way.

My mum used to read a lot I imagine that was the 80s version of ignoring your kids because you’re staring at your phone for hours on end. She also used to always be smoking, j have such clear memories of her doing things like tying my shoes laces with a fag hanging out her mouth and me getting smoke in my face. She would vehemently deny this now though!

Mine was always baking or knitting, and lots of popping round to neighbours.

Knitting, watching soaps, staring into space wondering wtf she married my dad.

Chatting on the landline to her sisters, watching TV, reading including a daily newspaper, gardening...

My mother knitted, watched TV and did crosswords. I don't think she ever thought she should be productive in the evenings, she felt entitled to relax. Social media distracts us from doing other things while simultaneously making us feel guilty about not doing other things.

Ironed every in sight.

Every THING

Watching TV, mostly. Or going across the road to bitch about other women with her mate - and then come back and bitch about her mate at me.

My Mam used to mainly smoke, chat in the phone to her friends, do an unnecessary amount of ironing and, if all else failed, pick a fight with my dad - from what I recall.

TV, magazines, knitting, sewing

Talking to her sisters (she had 6) her mum, watching TV with my dad. Knitting, reading, pottering about.

Watching TV, soaps and then whatever film was on.

Mine just worked on endless unfinished craft projects.

To be honest, I think social media would have been a better use of her time!

In the 60's we spent loads of time in the library and reading books, well my mother that is and me as well. We devoured books.

My mum worked for as long as I can remember, her last job that she did until retiring was a carer for 20+ years. She was always busy! Home cooked meals, nothing boxed/tinned, all freshly cooked every night. She baked cakes, bread, HAND WASHED all the washing... (we had a washing machine but preferred standing there for hours scrubbing).

The only time I remember her doing 'nothing' is when she sometimes finished early from work in the summer and she'd be laying on a sun lounger when I got in from school.

We never sat down as a family to watch tv, cause she never sat down!

Now decades on, I am looking after my mother, caring for her... it's the least I can do :-)

My Mum used to get up at 6.30am every morning and clean out open fire from previous day and set and light fire. Then warm our school uniforms on fire guard to warm them. She cooked us scrambled eggs or Redibrek every morning for breakfast. Walk us to school 10 mins. Go home and vaccine floor, polish furniture, start preparing lunch as my sister and I always went home for a cooked lunch. Dad came home for cooked lunch too. After lunch she'd wash up and make pot of tea. In afternoon she'd do laundry three times a week and bake twice a week. Each week she made apple pie, little cakes, flap jacks, sausage rolls, scones and pasties. My sister and I always took friends home on Tuesdays and Fridays when she baked. She ironed too in afternoons and cleaned our bedrooms, moped floors and did shopping without car. Mum rarely sat down except when my Auntie popped over for a cup of tea. She still vacuumed every single day until she was 80. Sadly she has passed now but really hard working. She made a whole career of housework and really enjoyed seeing her house clean and tidy. Evenings she often did sewing, knitting or making dance costumes for my sister or watching us swim.

Me too.

And if I didn't have dodgy eyes, I still would!