Is there a great difference in teenage years?

I became a teenager in 1966. I was constantly afraid of IRA bombs.

I was never frightened of communism maybe because I knew people who were communists. I wasn't, at least in my teenage years ,very conscious of being unequal either. Perhaps because I was raised by a mother who always worked, believed boys should learn to cook, and the best thing a girl could do was be educated. I think I took my equality for granted and assumed I could go where I wanted and do as I liked. I do sometimes look back on risks I took with horror and hope my DGD never behaves as I did. However I did have a good time. It came as a bit of a shock to me when I married and had babies and suddenly realised how much of a second citizen I was.

Not really, drugs, sex, violence. None of that changes.

I hitchhiked all over - wouldn’t do that today.
I slept on the beach in Torquay with my hippie mates.
Loads of drugs but my mates stuck to cider.
Lots of experimenting with sex- shotgun teenage weddings common.
We loved rock n roll and fashion - mini skirts no bigger than a belt.
We weren’t all innocents by any means.

Trisher I do not think that the fear of communism was fear of the ideology, but of the powers behind it, the USSR in Europe and China, under Mao Tse Tung in Asia. Both those countries were known to be totalitarian and could be seen to be expansionist and suppressive.

Somehow British Communism always seemed a bit harmless and not worth bothering about.

ah, 50s and 60s, now those were the days! :-)

When I was at school if we looked at a same sex teacher/friend and admired them it was to take something forward in the formation of ourselves. Smart dresser, good sense of humour, warmth etc

Nowadays I have experience of teenagers questioning their sexuality if doing this. Its as if they have to decide to own and proclaim a gender. I’ve even heard a best friend of the same sex described as ‘my crush’. We just had a best friend.

I love their sexual freedom but hate that they think they have to decide a gender ‘type’ so early in their sexual maturity. I believe some know very early that they feel they are not the sex on their birth certificate but I also believe many are ‘lost’ as to their sexual identity due to the many labels that are encouraged by diverse groups.

This is only MY opinion. That is what you asked for.

But school girl crushes, as distinct from friendships, were quite common in the 1950s and earlier. I can remember quite a few girls having them when i was in secondary school. the subject of te crush would be a teacher or older girl, usually someone in the 6th Form.

In the days of single sex education and boys and girls kept more seperate in adolescence, burgeoning hormones had to find an outlet in some direction.

I think school girl crushes faded out with The Beatles and co-education.

Martha please come back and tell us something of the demographics of the older people social group as I'd love to know more about it.
My experiences were much more like Trisher's - I wonder if we are slightly younger?

I was in my 20s before I realized communism was perceived as a serious threat. We were staying in Germany with my brother who was in REME. On his way in to work he noticed some men with binoculars looking down on the camp/base. To be on the safe side he reported it and next thing he knew he was being cross examined by MPs and mysterious men in suits.

There was one pub in Hastings that was known as a drugs den and it doubled up as the gay pub as well.

Some GN members seem to be very unlucky with the teens in their area. Both my teen GSs are kind and polite and so are their friends. No tattoos or earrings so far.

They do seem to have a lot more “stuff” but a lot less freedom. They have started walking themselves to our house in the holidays. They both like cooking but don’t seem to do any housework (they have a once weekly cleaner) and all have their own TV which means they are often in different rooms and often playing computer games with friends who are presumably in their own homes. They are conscious that there are predators online and hopefully will avoid such pitfalls. They’ve already had chats with their mum about one odd ball they weren’t sure about.

Swings and roundabouts I suppose but I am glad I was a teenager in the 60s when anything seemed possible and women were beginning to question their role in society. My Mum was another who thought boys should be self sufficient.

Thanks folks, our oldies group ranges from 55 eldest at moment is an 93 year old retired vet.
We have a regular weekly meeting in a church hall and thanks to Anchor Homes regular discussion groups meeting in their lounges.
Discussion next week is “,Do decision makers ignore older people at their peril ?

That's two generations difference, which possibly explains why our experiences of teenage years are so different. Quite honestly, some of the comments on here would have been more appropriate for my grandmother.