Half a century ago... what were you up to?

Married 3 years, 1 year old son.

Married one year just had first baby girl & mostly a very happy time too

Married for five years, nearly three year old daughter & new baby son. Happy!

50 years ago I was 15 and utterly miserable. I was the oldest of five children and lived in a Yorkshire pit village. I went to Grammar school about ten miles away. My life seemed to consist of school, looking after younger siblings, trying to do homework and working to try and earn a bit of money. To make matters worse my parents were splitting up.

I'd been married for a month and we were living in the house we'd bought for £6,000

32 with 6 month-old baby and 2 year-old toddler. Quite a handful! Lots of healthy exercise walking to the Co-op with the pram and in the opposite direction to the Mums and Toddlers' Club. Used my contacts there to create a local group of NHR.

Working full-time and pregnant with Baby No.1

Preparing for my wedding in September.

I was eight and had just finished my first year in the juniors. I had recently passed my grade 1 exam and spent a lot of time at the piano - ten years later l would be setting off for music college and an eventual career in music - when I wasn’t playing out with my friends or reading. Happy days.

I was 23. Married for four years we’d bought a do-er upper of a house a year previously and also acquired our first dog. That year we were building a dining room with the help of a friends husband who was a master builder. He taught Mr C to bricklay and a very patient building inspector made sure the outcome was legal. I helped dig foundations, a huge soak away, carried bricks, mixed cement and generally laboured. My Dad looked on in some horror when he wasn’t helping out, Mum tried to keep us all sane and made sure the dog and wet cement were kept apart. It took ages as we only had weekends and evenings but was more than worth it. We had roofers, otherwise it was all our own if supervised work. We loved the process and the outcome. A good year for us.

I had married in 1972. He beat me up on the honeymoon in Torremolinos and we persevered with a coach trip to the Alhambra and I didn’t speak to him. Do you blame me? Later, he explained to me, after I divorced him, that he was brought up to treat women like that. Somehow we became friends and he made me furniture for my single persons house. Sadly he remarried and emigrated to South Africa with this lady and her son and he died in a terrible accident.

Early 1960s. I was part way through my professional qualifications and therefore having to remain with my parents because I could not yet afford my own place. I hated it and spent as little time at home as possible. When I wasnt working I was out studying in the library or clubbing. I still look back on the 1960s with a great deal of nostalgia. They were wonderful years.

It was a very different world when older men still touched their hats to young ladies and opened the door for them.

I had just returned home from a school trip to Paris. It was my first time abroad.

Happy birthday AskAlice

That's a dreadful story Cattery girl

I was 23. We had 2 little boys. We were living in a nice new house, we had bought in Kent, and had great neighbours. I turned a downstairs room into a pottery studio.
That year we holidayed in Galloway.

Living in Devon on the edge of Dartmoor. We have a movie of us on Banthum beach along with our daughter with DH giving her milk out of a milk bottle and her pointing to me (filming them) asking “what is mama doing?” I was hugely pregnant at the time with our son who would be born in a months time.

What were you doing in 1973 biglouis?

I was married with a four year old daughter and about to be pregnant again. Happy days

Second child was 2 months old, first still not 2. (our decision).

No 2 slept so much it worried me, she only opened her eyes when she opened her mouth for food, and once satisfied closed them again.

The weather was glorious, so eacch morning I put her in the pram, pushed it to the shady end of the garden and brought her in in the evening.

I did not know this was a deep and devious plan by said baby, at six weeks laid on her tummy she rolledd onto her back, a few weeks later, she rolled from back to front and then there was no stopping her, she stopped sleeping as much and was only happy when rolling round the room. How I longed for the long sleeps oftnhe early weeks of her life.

Reading through this thread, so many saying what happy days they were, (not everyone sadly).

Why? Was it because it was a much simpler time, mainly at home with babies and little ones, or doing up first homes?

Life just seemed easier somehow.

The joys of youth.

We remember, and write of the happy times.

I could also have added that DS was worried by appearance of a sister, he liked the idea in theory but worried, he is a worrier still, that he was going to be supplanted by her. This meant long sleepless nights because he didn't sleep, DH's work took him away from home a lot, so I was almost a single mother. DH's father was beginning to show signs of the health problems that were to increasingly disable him over the next 9 years.

Yes, all was not sweetness and light 50 years ago, but I prefer to remember it as an idyllic hot summer, with my two little ones.

Salti

50 years ago I was 15 and utterly miserable. I was the oldest of five children and lived in a Yorkshire pit village. I went to Grammar school about ten miles away. My life seemed to consist of school, looking after younger siblings, trying to do homework and working to try and earn a bit of money. To make matters worse my parents were splitting up.

Salti hope your life improved. My 15th year was also MY unhappiest, but quite a long time before 1973.

That year was a pretty enjoyable time, Having been told several years earlier that we would not be able tohave children due to hubbies MS, by 1973 our youngest was getting ready to celebrate her firstbirthday, with her two older siblings. I would goon a couple of years later tohave twins!!!

The previous year we had moved into a new build house, which after eight years in a victorian end of terrace was absolutely wonderful. Lovely nieghbours, really enjoying being a SAHM, and my lovely new house.

The 70's were a good time, it was the 80's whidh were a total disaster.

I was 33 and had two children. I had undertaken a teacher training course for mature students and designed to fit in with school times and holidays. Was at the college for 4 years which included a degree course.

It’s strange isn’t it? although I was happy with the toddler and expecting our second, we had no money and lived 13 floors up in a Tower block, MrOops worked all hours so that we could save up and buy our own home, although we didn’t manage that until a few years later.

So, no money, no car, twin tub, fridge and a second hand cooker were all the appliances we had, but we were happy.

13 still at school looking forward to a bright future!

I had just finished my probationary year as a teacher in a school near my parents. Moving back home had come as quite a shock after 3 years of freedom.
I visited my fiance every other weekend, he was still a student.
This weekend I had just been to a friend's wedding,
Life was hectic but I enjoyed it.