Three generations ago people were born in log cabins. Doctors rode horses in snow to deliver those babies that grew up to be normal healthy people. There were not 20 different vaccines to give new born kids. They drank mothers breast milk or cow's milk warmed on the stove. They had cloth diapers and were bathed in a wash basin used by the others in the house.
Three generations ago women cooked meals on wood stoves. They managed to cook entire meals, sew clothes, bake pies, and even chop wood or kill chickens to eat. Men worked in saw mills and as farmers with horses and mules to pull the plows. They wore overalls everyday, worked in steel mills and built cities. They didn’t fear what others said about them or even cared.
Three generations ago kids helped feed livestock, plant fields, and care for their younger siblings. They milked the cows daily and gathered eggs when mom was busy. People cooked pies, breads, cakes, or something special for their neighbors when someone was born, or a death in the family. They raised 5, 6, or 7 kids on one income and never complained.
Three generations ago people bartered for food and services. They talked to people with respect. They canned their fruits and vegetables for the winter. They hung their meats in a smokehouse to cure. They used out houses and had no indoor plumbing. Their daily gym routine was chopping wood, pulling weeds in the garden, and cleaning out stalls in the barn.
Three generations ago people took care of the elderly. Multiple generations lived in one house. Switches off trees solved more problems and behavior issues with kids than any book. People listened to the radio for news and entertainment. They played cards, dominoes, and sat on the porch in the evenings.
There generations ago people stayed busy all the time. There was always something that needed to be done, clothes washed, sick kid, pick crops, chop wood, or go to church. Everyone pitched in to help get it all done and mostly with no arguments. The older siblings tool care of what mom and dads couldn’t and never complained knowing that the switch was not far away.
There generations ago people didn’t complain because there was no Wi-Fi, they didn’t complain they couldn’t get an elective medical procedure, or that their iPad went dead. Kids didn’t have to have electronic devices to be entertained, they had chores to do. They made up their own games and played outside. They sat at dinner tables and behaved, knowing a switch was not far away.
Our lives today are gravy. The hardest decision some of you make is to decide what pizza place to order from and the quickest delivery. The worst part of your day is waiting in line for coffee that is burnt and over priced because you don’t think you have time to make it at home.
So when you start to complain about how bad things are, remember, many of you are basically whining wimps who wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it slapped you in the face. Your lives are nothing like three generations ago. It’s much easier and not as complicated as you might like to believe.
“My father is the oldest of seven kids. They all played, worked, and took care of each other. The mentality should never change in a family.” – Jeremy Workman
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