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Life In The Middle

The Times Have Changed, But We Still Need To Work Hard

My Father was born in Burlington, Iowa February 6,1917. Like most Americans, he never finished high school. He worked on the family farm as a kid; then became an all American laborer. He swept shop floors, for his first job.

During the depression, he rode the rails with countless other unemployed people, going from place to place, trying to find work. He was tall, laughed a lot, had a short temper, and a creative streak that lasted his entire life. He met my Mom in Nebraska, they had five kids, and eventually moved to Oregon by 1953.

He did any kind of work that would keep a roof over his family’s head and food on the table. The work hours were long and the labor intense. Sometimes he worked 12 and sixteen hours in a lumber mill, flipping sheets of plywood. When he came home, he was covered in wood dust and sweat. Sometimes the only thing he had the strength to do was fall onto the bed and sleep.

There was no OSHA requirements, no fat union benefits guaranteed, no workman’s comp and no unemployment that extended out years on end; allowing a person to sit without getting some kind of job. A worker knew that it was his responsibility to take care of his family.

Things have changed in the fifty years since my Dad was in the work force. A lot of these changes have been positive, but along with the good has come a lot of graft and corruption. The attitude that “someone”OWES you something would have made my Dad roll over in his grave.

The problem is that more and more government programs have been added to the “ENTITLEMENT” column. Yes, we have a responsibility to extend a helping hand to others in need, but it is not our responsibility to indefinitely take care of them. Who would have guessed that within fifty years more children would be born, with no Dad listed on their birth certificates. Who would have thought that in fifty years there would be the numbers of children living in homes that were touched by drugs, alcohol, arguments, and multiple partners. Who would have expected in fifty years that so many men would give up the responsibility for their families? What would the men of my Father’s generation have thought about that?

My husband and I raised our children in the 1970's through 1990's. During that time the change in the attitudes of people about marriage and families have turned upside down. My husband didn’t work 12 and 16 hour shifts, flipping sheets of plywood, but he was the legal father to his children, and was responsible for their safety and well being. He got a college degree and worked as an engineer for many years while I was a homemaker and had our six children. I was able to finish my nursing degree, and then work with my husband as partners while we finished raising our children and see them leave home and get out on their own.

Today it seems people feel they can put less in, yet expect more out. State and federal budgets are in trouble. The government is going broke, yet not one is accepting the fact that the retirement age must be raised, and pension funds must be decreased. This means that those who can work, must work longer or perform some type of community service. Those that have children cannot turn to the government to take responsibility that belongs to parents.

This is a time of change, and as my Father would say, gather your strength, because in the end it’s only the strong who will survive with the least scrapes and bruises. Hopefully your family will be strong enough to get through the coming times.

Something to think about is the fortitude and strength of your Grandparents and Great grandparents, who were forced to work hard or ride the rails looking for work. Just something to think about. Until next time... Colleen

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