'Teenagers - Then and Now' by Louise McClean

I have never been a teenager simply because, when I was that age, the word hadn’t been invented. There was no such thing as a teenager.
We were just young people who got on with living our lives and mostly did as we were told. It was so quiet and tame and orderly compared with the life of a teenager to-day. Did we miss out I wonder?
We had no idea we were supposed to be moody and rebellious - nobody told us. Think of the fun we missed!
No excuses were made for us if we made a lot of noise when we were in a big group. We were told to go home and behave and be quiet and we did. We were afraid of the police, believe it or not, because they would tell your parents and then you were in double trouble!
There was no dress code for us to follow. You wore whatever your mother could get - remember clothing coupons? My clever mother used to make my clothes from cast-offs and I wore them happily and never dared to complain. There was no point in complaining anyway, no-one was any better dressed than anyone else.
To-day it’s accepted that teenagers will be rude to their parents. It’s OK to answer them back or even to shout at them and then run out and bang the door. No-one in our generation ever did that. Instead we sulked in silence and moaned to our friends. We got long boring lectures from adults and, like to-day’s young, paid no attention. But few rebelled.
Alcohol, or rather the lack of it, was no problem at all. Going for a drink was what your dad or uncles did. We had fizzy lemonade as a treat and loved it! Our mothers never went into pubs either, they were a male domain in our town anyway. If your mother was lucky she got a small sherry or a glass of port wine at Christmas.
I remember once when my cousin was about fourteen, he came upon his dad’s hidden Christmas supply of booze. He sampled rather a lot of it and got tipsy. It was the talk of the family for years and he was watched closely to see if it would set him on the slippery slope to hell! It never did!
To-day it’s no hardship to be banished to your room as a punishment. In there it will likely be warm and carpeted and comfortable and there is very likely to be a TV and a PC.
In my day bedrooms were always freezing. There was cold lino on the floor with maybe a small rug by the bed. The walls were usually brown and dingy and thick net curtains covered the window. Believe me you did your best not to be sent to your room - it was not a fun place.
How did we ever manage without crisps and all the other rubbish snacks available to-day? Simple, we just didn’t eat between meals and if we had a treat it was fruit from your, or a neighbour’s garden when it was in season. I often used to spread HP sauce on bread and thought it was great. Try offering that to a young person to-day and hear their reaction!
Bad language was saying “damn” and everyone was shocked if you said it. Woe betide you if you were overheard. None of the adults in our family swore so we had no bad example to follow. Listen to-day to the average group of teenagers and every second word will be offensive. It’s sad really.
The youth of to-day think sex was invented in their time and we were never tempted. Well, they’re wrong! In those far-off, pre-pill days it was pure fear that kept us on the straight and narrow! Just imagine the shame and horror of getting pregnant out of marriage? What would your parents and your grandparents and the neighbours say? The very thought was so horrific and terrifying that that was the best birth control ever invented. A bit of self-control never did anyone any harm and it made the thought of marriage more exciting.
How did we spend our spare time? We joined church youth clubs where we played table-tennis, put on concerts and went once a year to the sea- side on a church excursion as a special treat which we thought was wonderful.
So, what a sad, dreary young life we had! We were expected to behave, to be responsible for our behaviour and to be seen and not heard and not to bring shame to our family and we accepted this - we really did!
Were we miserable - not on your life. It was just wonderful to be young and we enjoyed every minute.