Are we any worst off then our parents?

While reading the story in the Indianapolis Star today (Poll: Concern rises with gasoline prices) got to thinking about my parents and the way they lived or should I say we lived.

I grew up outside a small town in central Indiana on what started out to be a 115 acre farm. It was located about 35 miles east of Indy but I only remember being here once in my teen years. They sold off 15 acres so they could have that farm paid off in full. We worked 7 days a week, 365 days a year. (Milk cows and other animals did not take vacations.)

I can not remember eating out in a restaurant except maybe one or two times a year. And that was combined with other activities of farming. Gas was used for tractors not to be put into the car for just running around. I can remember weeks at a time that we did not leave the home place.

I had two older brothers so new cloths were very few and far between. I had two pairs of shoes. One good and one for “everyday”. Once a year those everyday shoes were replaced by a new pair of good shoes for school. If we wanted to listen to music, we just turn that little knob on the used radio that we got at an auction. We made most of our own toys. I remember making guns out of wood alone with bow and arrows. When mom and dad went Christmas shopping, you can be what they got each other was something that they could use. But they always came up with some toys for us boys. I remember a train set that I still have that was made in 1954.

Are we really worst off then those before us or are we just use to getting what we want, when we want it?