Vent - My Mother (and her generation?)

Jagraf

Each generation will moan about their lot. Although my parents are in their seventies and never moan - and my dad in particular had it really tough. No food on the table, no shoes, elderly parents who he looked after from aged 12.

Nah, I don't think it's got any harder. There are far more opportunities now than there ever were, in my opinion.

Although they did live in a northern mining town.

tooldle

Housing situation was definitely difficult back them. My parents married in 1961, and lived in rooms for a few years before buying their own place. Housing was hard to come by. The impact of the war on housing stock in some areas was severe. I was born in '69 and can remember bomb sites still awaiting development. We tend to look at the past with our rose tinted specs on.
Food for example is far cheaper now, than it was for my parents generation.

Jagraf

tooldle wrote: »

Housing situation was definitely difficult back them. My parents married in 1961, and lived in rooms for a few years before buying their own place. Housing was hard to come by. The impact of the war on housing stock in some areas was severe. I was born in '69 and can remember bomb sites still awaiting development. We tend to look at the past with our rose tinted specs on.
Food for example is far cheaper now, than it was for my parents generation.

You were born the same year as me and I agree. Foid was never ever wasted and my folks had an outside loo with a poo lorry and no heating.

tooldle

I had forgotten the lack of heating. We had a open fire in both the front and back room. One room used in winter, the other in summer. That was it heating wise. Appliances were also very expensive and few people had them. I would say my quality of life is far better.

Pollycat

Jagraf wrote: »

You were born the same year as me and I agree. Foid was never ever wasted and my folks had an outside loo with a poo lorry and no heating.

I was 25 before I lived in a house with central heating.
My parents' house had an open fire in the living room, a gas fire in the 'front' room - which was very rarely put on - we had a wall-mounted electric heater in the bathroom and that was it!

Oh - and no double glazing either.
When we woke up in the winter it was usual for the insides of the windows to be covered in frost.

duchy

So shes a glass half empty type person

Frankly it wouldn't matter how much she had she'd still moan and be convinced someone was getting a better deal than she was - rather than appreciating her own good fortune.

I don't think this is generational -it's just her personality .

Every generation has them - the entitlement types who can't see when they are well off but always see someone else has more and refuse to count their blessings.

Vent away -it's all you can do as she's not going to change.

Pollycat

duchy wrote: »

So shes a glass half empty type person

Frankly it wouldn't matter how much she had she'd still moan and be convinced someone was getting a better deal than she was - rather than appreciating her own good fortune.

I don't think this is generational -it's just her personality .

Every generation has them - the entitlement types who can't see when they are well off but always see someone else has more and refuse to count their blessings.

Vent away -it's all you can do as she's not going to change.

You said it much better than I did.

System

It wasnt very often my Mother and husband clashed but when she went on about how poor she was my husband used to walk out.

I share your pain.

prosaver

Just say , I know , what can I do?
I was brought up in the 70s it was great ...ttell her to go on mse forum ,well sort old misery out, and make her feel better

iris

My husband and I got married in 1963 and bought our first house. I worked as a secretary (shorthand typist) and on a Saturday worked in a shop, so that we could save for a deposit. My DH also worked on a weekend for extra money towards our deposit (no hand-outs from parents).


This first house was a 2 bedroomed semi in the West Midlands and cost £2,200. It also had an inside bathroom.


Our first and only child came along in 1964. I desperately wanted to take 'the pill' and had to badger my GP until he gave in:D


I went back to work in 1966 and paid my Mother to have our daughter. I was never out of work and always found getting employment easy.


Was life easier in the 1960s/1970s, I'm not sure.


We didn't get any benefits (except for MIRAS). In those days you didn't even get child benefit for the first child.