My Parents' Generation And The Year The World Changed

De: Todd Fries

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

It was a world of innocence and play, for these last children of the baby boomer years, yet their world was rapidly changing around them and at the heart of it all was the values and character of the generation that raised them. This story centers around the moral, ethical and social ideals that the older generation passed down to the younger and how the kids interpreted, mimicked and then generated their own value system, based on their parents, neighbors and the community around them. It is told from the perspective of a child in a story that will make you laugh, cry and force you to think about the way you were raised and how we raise our children today by subtly revealing the acceptable norms of the time. This book does not use clinical terms or review case studies in child rearing. Nor does it suggest that parenting methods are any better or worse than those employed by our greatest generation. It simply provides an historical perspective of a slice of life, in a small space of time in a neighborhood not too long ago and does it in the form of an entertaining story that will leave you wanting for more. The story reveals the influence and care of all of those around us, who shaped our being and drove our character, and helps us to appreciate that we are sum of everyone we have ever known. Excerpt: “Donny hit me on the shoulder and we ran as fast as we could to Clark street and then across to the next block. Donny slipped into a doorway and I pushed in behind him, but there was not enough room for two people and I was sticking out. “Get out of here!” he yelled. “He’ll see us!” I pushed harder on him, but there was nowhere to go and I started to panic. I ran back out onto the street and then changed my mind and slammed back into him at full force, almost climbing up his leg to get onto his head. The skylight was open and I was able to grab just enough by launching off of his leg, causing him to yelp in surprise. Then, we both sat silent. He against the door and me hanging from the skylight with my waist across his face. Neither of us moved for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds. We both heard footsteps around the corner. They stopped and shuffled as if looking up and down the street. Then more silence. If he came only a few feet more, he would see us and it would all be over. Such were the dangers of going to Sid’s, but we accepted the risk for the great reward that lay ahead and so we stayed silent. It then occurred to us that we could hear something else. There was another sound of foot falls, but these were coming from behind the door which we now occupied. Someone was coming down the stairs toward the door and we had only seconds before we were flung head long back onto the sidewalk and I knew without looking that Donny heard it also. I did not stop to think, but did the only thing possible in the moment. I pulled harder and lifted myself up enough so that my face was now looking through the skylight into the stairwell. It was dark, but I could make out a form approaching quickly and I hoped he would see me and stop long enough to buy us the time we needed, but it was no use. Whoever it was, was coming fast, in a suit coat and hat and the brim was down so low that there was no hope of him seeing me. As the door opened only to the outside, our position was not sustainable. The man was at the door in a second, so I released my grip and bounced back onto the sidewalk just as Donny was flung out on top of me. The man was startled by the impact of hitting the door so hard. He had expected it to open easily and when it did not, his momentum sent him headlong into it which in turn had launched Donny into space. The man asked if we were OK, but despite our shock and trauma, we were only interested in one thing. Did he see us?"