Growing Up In a Small Town

[DA Aquamaster]

42. The local police, if there was any, also knew everyone so if Mama sent you to the store he knew it was important and looked the other way knowing you didn't have a driver license...you may have only been 13-14 years old!

At age 12 I drove me and my sister into town to school in one of the pickups for nearly my entire 6th grade year. The sheriff understood that the folks were busy and we were not on a bus route and looked the other way. However the new insurance agent in town (recently moved to town from the "big city" - maybe 10,000 people) was not so understanding and threatened to cancel our insurance if I continued. He was not good for the agency's business and did not stay around town long but by then I was fourteen and had a learner's permit anyway.

 

[kelpmermaid]

but at the bank, no one ever asked for my mother's maiden name because they all knew what it was.

Or...my very first absentee ballot came to me in college with a note from my former classmate's mother, the town clerk...

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It's not just the size of the towns that have changed but the times as well.

I grew up ina very small town with a very small school (27 in the graduating class) and I used to get excused abscences from the high school principle to go hunting every fall. He felt it was a lot more valuable experience than sitting around in school. As long as I kept my grades up and made up any missed assignments he didn't care how much school I missed.

In contrast, if my son misses 10 days in a semester regardless of the reason, he loses credit for the entire semester. I used to miss 10 days in the month of November alone.

Of course in grade school we also all brought our .22's to school for show and tell after Christmas break. In contrast if my son even brought a pocket knife to school he would be suspended for the year. They would have a real fit if he brought the Buck knife I used to carry to school. Funny but with every one well armed, there was virtually no violence in school. We had weapons but we also had values and strong moral fiber.

 

[DandyDon]

I started driving pickups on county dirt roads and local paved Farm-Markets when I was 10, moved up to hauling cattle in from an auction 40 miles away in a bob-tail truck when I was 12 - nervous about getting stopped by the Texas Dept Public Safety, not knowing that Dad had a gentleman's agreement with the local justice system: As long as I didn't cause a problem, leave me alone. Got my license when I was 14, and I've only rolled 2 vehicles in 46 years.