Hi Dr. Laura.

You have a favorite saying that I understand very well - "In the Day." To me, "The Day" was in the 1940's and 1950's.

I was in the first grade when WWII began. Television didn't exist at the time so we got all of our entertainment from radio and the movies. In Pennsylvania, we had Blue laws that prevented commerce from taking place on the celebrated day of rest, Sunday. And most of the families in my neighborhood were blessed with a mom and dad. It was common for grandparents to also be living in the homes - it was just after the Depression. If we misbehaved, our parents were sure to find out from neighbors. And we didn't have "play dates."

Girls wore skirts or dresses and were taught to sit like ladies. They were also taught to keep their panties up and their dresses down. Boys were taught to keep it in their pants. And a favorite game at group parties was spin the bottle at one of the girl's homes. Boys did the spinning as we sat in a circle, and we were allowed to kiss the girl closest to the end of the bottle. We would go into a vestibule to kiss the girl. I kid you not, that was thrilling, especially if we liked the girl. We had a lot of respect for the girls. The only girls in our group were the "good girls". It was good clean fun. Believe it or not, none of us died because we were horny and who said that abstinence doesn't work? It's a lie.

When we got to senior high school, we turned to dating in groups. Only a few of us had cars. The not so good girls and boys, the smokers and drinkers, hung out with each other. As you would expect, there were some pregnancies. In most instances there were shotgun marriages so the baby would not be a bastard. Guys were made to take responsibility. The fear of a shotgun marriage scared enough of us to control our male sexual nature. The Pill destroyed the respect that guys used to have for girls. They were on a pedestal then. Today, with a hookup culture, they are no more than sex objects who can legally kill their babies. Ask your listeners which era do they think was best for young people?

I will be attending my 60 year high school reunion in my home town in October. We have them every five years and it is always fun to socialize with those I grew up with, when life was safer and much better than it is today. And in November, my wife and I celebrate our golden anniversary.

Stan