Every so often, I ask my mother how they did it all back in the 50's, 60's, and 70's when we were small. My parents raised six children on a respectable, yet modest income. They sent us all to Catholic schools, from elementary grades through high school, and somehow managed to even slip us a few bucks in college if things got tight for us in the later years. My mother never worked outside the home after my oldest brother was born in 1954. She was always there to greet us at the end of the school day or pick us up when we got sick.

Things were tight financially; how could they not be? I even recall my mother sitting down for a cry after returning home from the grocery store one day back in the late 70's because the bill went over $75. We always had clothes, not the latest fashions, to be sure. We ate like kings, even though it wasn't steak every night (my mother can cook!) And our home was warm in the winter and reasonably cool in the mid-western summertime.

Mia Cronan is the mother of three girls, ages 4, 3, and 1, living in Pennsylvania. She runs the Main Street Mom web site and writes for her church newsletters while her husband manages a local business. She can be reached at mia@mainstreetmom.com.

Did you enjoy this article? Rate It!

You can email this entire article to yourself or a friend! Just fill in the fields below and you will be returned to this article when you are finished.