REMEMBER WHEN...

Someone sent me one of those lovely nostalgic emails, about growing up in the 50's and early 60's - candy cigarettes, leaving doors unlocked, having your gas pumped and oil checked each time you stopped at the service station.

And I'm afraid it got me thinking - of all the reasons I do not think of those as the 'good old days.'

When little girls would dream of becoming mommies, or nurses, teachers or secretaries... and nothing else.

While little boys were expected to go to college, and become chairmen of boards, executives, lawyers.

When child molestation happened, but was never reported to the police. Sex abusers weren't prosecuted - names weren't publicized - little girls were just told to be quiet and not talk about it.

 People of color were still called wetbacks and niggers, and didn't work in anything but what we call blue-collar jobs. Not by choice, but because that's what they could get hired for.

Women who did work earned less than 60% then men.

In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed, banning discrimination on the basis of color, race, national origin, religion or sex.

However, blacks were still barred from voting in some southern states for years and years - a Latino wasn't elected mayor of Los Angeles until 2005.

In elementary school, I was allowed ONLY wear dresses to school - I wasn't allowed to wear pants until jr. high/middle school, and blue jeans weren't allowed for girls until I was in high school.

When I first applied to veterinarian school, I was told that 'girls specialized in small animal practice, not livestock or horses."

I'm sorry, but I like today a whole lot more.