“In MY day, we….”
For some reason this phrase evokes Thanksgivings as a kid when odd smelling grandparents and weird uncles came over for a big turkey dinner. It wouldn’t be long before one of them would scowl and say, “In MY day, we…” with a variety of endings. Perhaps they walked ten miles to school and back (barefoot) and thought I was a slacker because I was in a car pool. Perhaps they only had one or two books, and it infuriated them that I turned the corner of a page down to mark my place in my paperback. Or perhaps they thought my attempt to fling a pea off my spoon across the table into my sister’s big mouth would have brought on severe corporal punishment if they’d acted up at the table. Times have changed. As we become the parents and then the grandparents (though I sincerely hope I do not smell odd), I can feel this phrase wanting to rise to my lips as I watch nephews, nieces, and grandchildren do the unthinkable. “In MY day, we didn’t take phone calls during dinner, not to mention checking your cell phone and texting every two seconds.” “In MY day, we had to go out in the cold weather and hang out in the back yard to sneak a joint instead of lighting up in the house.” “In MY day, we only had one television, and if Pop wanted to watch football, we didn’t get to watch An Affair to Remember.” How would you end that phrase, “In MY day, we…”?