I had a childhood friend named Tammy. She lived at the end of my rural route road, a good 2-mile bike ride from my house. The excitement of finally being allowed to journey to see her, solo, was intense. Keep in mind, this was the 70s. We didn’t think twice about allowing a 4th grader to venture out alone. It was encouraged, in fact. Tammy’s house was an exercise in foreign concepts. Tammy’s dad was some sort of company executive. They lived in a very modest home, but it was chock full of things I’d never seen before. Take the grapes, for instance. My visits to Tammy’s house always included a snack, lovingly prepared by her mother. I had my first Granny Smith apple in Tammy’s kitchen, sitting at her Formica topped table with the colorful vinyl seat chairs. I only knew about Golden Delicious apples. Also, Tammy’s mom bought creamy Jiff peanut butter. We only had crunchy no named PB at my house. But, nothing beats the day of the grapes. “What are these, Mrs. Drennan?” “Dina, those are grapes.” “But, they’re BLACK.” “Yes, honey. There is such a thing as a black grape.” Color me shooketh. Clearly, Tammy and her family were filthy, stinking rich, at least in the eyes of a 9-year-old child. This prompted me to recall all of the other things that made folks seem well to do back in the day, from a child’s perspective. But first, let’s take a look at how the times have changed.
When you look at things that have increased in price over the past decades, one thing tops the list: children in general. They want more. They expect more. They actually need more. It’s hard to imagine sending a child out into the cruel world without a way to let you know if they’re in danger, in trouble, or in need of you. The Apple iPhone 13 Pro retails for $999. Unless you’ve been living under a proverbial rock for the last decade, you realize there is no such thing as a textbook anymore. Sure, school laptops are nice, and available in certain districts, but a laptop or a tablet is essential to education these days. The iPad Pro 256 GB retails for $1199. Oh, and the internet that makes all of these things useable will run you around $100 a month after that special intro subscription runs out. It doesn’t stop there. Uniforms cost money. Lunch costs money. Sports cost lots of money. There are little league fees and fees for private lessons and more fees for private tutoring. Mattresses for a good night’s sleep are incredibly expensive. Shoes are outrageous. And, due to of this fast approaching Christmas, the gifts are ridiculously expensive! The Xbox Series X retails for $949. 2021’s American Girl doll of the year is named Kira, and she will set you back almost $200 with accessories. In certain communities, buying your kid a golf cart is popular. Average price for a 2022 48V 4 seater is $8999. Today’s kids aren’t impressed by exotic grapes, that’s for sure.
Now, back to the life and times of little Dina. The first time I went into someone’s home and saw a staircase, I gasped. No one I knew lived in a 2-story home. What was this, Tara from Gone with the Wind? They must be rich. I was blown away the first time I saw packaged snacks. If you wanted a Ding Dong at my house, you’d be shown the doorbell, except we didn’t have one of those, either. They must be Rockefellers. If your friends got to eat TV dinners in front of an actual TV, they were clearly rolling in dough. Other dead giveaways of tycoons in the 70s and 80s included having more than one slimline phone in your house, having pushbutton phones instead of rotary dial models, cable television, food that came in boxes, food that was seen in commercials, central heat and air, cars with power steering, VCRs, VCR rewinders (reserved for royalty) and neighborhoods with streets that were named after trees. Comparison, it is said, is the thief of happiness. How were these people getting all these things? Ah, the marks of the elite were so easy to spot.
These days, we find ourselves in a world of uncertainty, often forced to choose between necessity and grave need. There’s not always room for a list of wants. And, at what cost do we obtain things? Longer hours? Lengthier commutes? Second jobs? Third jobs? I’m not parenting young children anymore. I’m glad for my inexperience in this era of turmoil. But, when I think of rich people nowadays, I think of smaller houses. I think in terms of food sustainability. I think of less waste and less buy ins in terms of materialism. When I see folks with urban chickens and herb gardens, people who shun a few modern conveniences in order to travel more, and those who love a good junk pick over a mall trip, I think, “There goes someone who’s rich.” There are ways to be rich: rich in experiences, rich in nature, rich in kindness, and maybe even rich in giving. But, never underestimate the power of a Ding Dong. They are delicious.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.