We had to walk six miles to school every day-and back again. Often this was done:

. . . in deep snow

. . . barefoot

. . . with a threadbare coat

. . . carrying my younger brother

. . . on an empty stomach

. . . from an unheated home to an unheated school

. . . uphill both ways

We went to school on Saturdays and during the summer.

When we were kids, the music we listened to was wonderful; not like the garbage you seem to like.

I was never absent from school. We weren't allowed to stay home with anything less than 104-degree temperature.

I was never late with my homework. We'd have gotten paddled for that.

We got ten cents a week for allowance-and had to clean the house for it.

We weren't allowed to listen to the radio until we practiced the piano for an hour.

We each got one orange for Christmas.

Vacation? We were too poor to go on any.

We had to go to school year round/help out in the field/take care of the other children/work to pay for school.

We had to share our books; we were too poor.

I had to have a newspaper route and clerk to help out at home.

We had no indoor plumbing. We had to use an outhouse 50/ 100/500 feet from the house.

We had no animals so we were yoked to plow the field . . . barefoot.

We had to go down to the lake to fetch fresh water.

We didn't have enough money to take the bus.

We remembered or they rapped our knuckles.

Children who were disrespectful got spanked in school.

Anything less than a B on a report card and we wouldn't be able to sit down for a week.

We had to chop wood (to keep the TV going).