Things that were considered a treat when you were a child than children today take for granted

1.  Television.

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, we had a single, black and white TV in the living room.  Dad undisputedly controlled the remote.  He'd sit there and tell me to change the channel.  I'd run across the room and turn the knob on the TV to one of three available channels.  It worked well with the volume control too!  Dad would say turn it up, and up I'd jump and turn the knob on the TV.  On Sundays, we'd get to eat a bowl of ice cream in front of the Disney Show, not the Disney Channel.

2.  Car Rides

Walking to school was the norm.  Like the postman, neither wind, nor sleet, nor rain nor hail would keep the student from his appointed rounds.  In bad weather, we'd either run directly home or savor the opportunity to be outside in weather Mom wouldn't otherwise let us leave the house for.  Nowdays, I can nearly throw a rock from my house threw the school window, but Mom drives them.  Sad commentary on the times.

Driving the kids over to their friends house was not an option.  The only option I had was:  walk or drive (my bike).  After school activties were all within walking distance, or they didn't happen.

A Sunday car ride was quite the event.  If we were lucky, we'd eventually end up getting an ice cream cone.  If we weren't lucky, we'd drive around for a couple of hours seeing sights we'd not otherwise see.  I personally prefered to see the sight of the ice cream store.

3.  McDonalds

Going to McDonalds as a kid was a real treat.  Once a month was an extravegance.  A regular meal then didn't come with a toy; but it sure looked like today's happy meal -- regular burger, small fries and a small coke.  On my birthday, I'd get a card in the mail for a meal and a milkshake.  Now, kid's eat at McDonald's every week and stand there for 15 minutes reading the menu before ordering the Happy Meal.

4.  Computers

My first recollection of a home computer was a suitcased sized terminal that Dad would call into work on.  It didn't do much of anything fancy and didn't even have a monitor.  Everything visual was printed out on a roll of paper.  It came with one game, and that was one someone programmed on the main frame the terminal dialed into.  The thought of having one in my bedroom, kitchen and den would have seemed comical....we only had one phone line.

5.  Getting sick and staying home from school

As a kid, I had to be running a fever more than 100 or be suffering from arterial bleeding in order to stay home from school.  Moms would call each other up and say, Billy's got chicken pox.  Come on over and get 'er done."  The idea of sending a kid home with sniffles was a foreign concept.  The "My tummy hurts and I don't feel good" was generally answered with "Me too.  Now get out of bed and get ready for school."