Heather+E‘s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017

What is the America you want to grow old in? Let me take you back to a time when life was easier. A time when children could play outside without the concern of being kidnapped. There were no such things as school shootings, schools were a safe place for kids to go everyday. Neighbors knew each other by name; they hung out together and had huge block parties. The sense of community was huge. People's lives just seemed like they were overall better. This time was during the 1950’s, they were the Happy Days. Schools in the 50s seemed much safer than today. Often there are incidents of distracted drivers involved in a hit and run of a child walking to school, or you hear of a gunman trying to hurt innocent children. There are kids that feel like there is no other option than to bring a weapon to school to feel safe and to cope with their feelings. Also, school staff members have been reported as having inappropriate relationships with students. Within communities and schools today, the innocence seems to be lost. Back then students would walk home from school without the thought of being approached and kidnapped. Kids would take the longest way home to have as many adventures as possible before coming home to start their homework. On Saturdays kids were kicked out of the house at 8 am and weren’t expected to return home until the streetlights came on. Every other Friday night families would get together and have discussions about who was bringing what to the occasional neighborhood dinner parties. Neighbors would all spend hours upon hours with each other talking and laughing the night away. In today’s communities, those type of nights are a lot more difficult to find. Families today are more engrossed within their own lives or they are just too busy to plan a neighborhood get-together. We often go out to eat at fast food places because our lives are too occupied to eat at home. In the 50s, everyone ate dinner together at home as a family; with a delicious home-cooked meal. To me, that is what made that time so good. Another instance that was better in the 50’s was that lives weren’t so overscheduled. As kids we were busy; always going to sports practices, games and music lessons. There was little time left to be a kid. As teenagers we continue with our music lessons and sports practices, but now we add on the stress of trying to get good grades. Back then all the high school kids would go to the local diner and hang out with their friends for hours. They weren’t stuck in their rooms writing speeches like this one. Since kids are always in their rooms today, obesity is greater than it used to be. Back then, kids would go outside and play and never want to come inside. Now we have all types of video games and technology to keep us occupied and distracted from what is outside. Today kids ages 10-17 make up one third the population in obesity. In the 50’s kids’ backyards were filled with toys and activities that kept them active and in shape. During that time period, there were multiple great inventions for children. All types of toys were being created; Barbie dolls, Mr. Potato Heads, Play-Doh, and even those little green army men that are everywhere in Toy-Story, were just a few of the toys that came out of the 1950s. This time period also came with toys that were to be played with outside such as yo-yos, hula-hoops, and frisbees. In my opinion, the creations and ideas for toys back then were a lot stronger then they are now. The only thing we see children playing with today are their parents phones and their fidget spinners. Kids were raised with good manners back then, now they just do whatever they want without anyone telling them what to do. When they misbehaved in the 50s something would be done about it. When I was in elementary school, I remember coming home one day and hearing the neighborhood news that Zack Brown set bushes on fire near the train tracks. As far as I know he never got in trouble for it. There would be serious consequences if a kid was to do that back in the 1950s. Their mom would drag them home by the ear and make them wait until their father came home to distribute the punishment. By having mothers and fathers work well together in the 50s, divorces were very uncommon. Families were supposed to consist of a mother, father, and their kids. Once they were married, it was til death do us part. About 50% of the marriages today end in a divorce. Marriages today seem to have an ‘easy out’ with divorces being so common. Parents and adults today are irked with the amount of sexual references and drug mentions in music today. Back then the only thing parents thought was bad was having their children ‘jiggle’ to Elvis Presley. Some parents thought that Elvis’ music was too wild and inappropriate for their kids to listen to. When compared to today's music, Elvis’ lyrics seem harmless. Of course during this time period there were problems but I feel like there are many more problems today. I’m not saying that I would want the America I grow old in to be like the 1950s exactly, however, in my future America I want the best parts of what life was like back then to be in my America. The America I want to grow old in will not have obese children staying inside eating a microwaveable dinner in front of their multiple screened bedroom. There will be Friday night dinner parties with the neighbors all talking about how wonderful and delicious Mrs. Smith’s ‘famous’ potato salad is. My future America will have less stressed teenagers, all, or maybe most, with good manners, hanging out together at the local diner before heading home to get their minimal amount of homework done. The marvelous and memorable parts from the 1950s will be mixed together with the wonderful parts of today to create the America I want to grow old in.