The winter months are notoriously known as “the cold and flu season”. I think it’s safe to say that most of us enjoyed a day at home and away from school growing up when we weren’t feeling well. I don’t remember it happening often because my siblings and I had to be genuinely ill to stay home from school, especially if the ole mercury glass thermometer confirmed it.
Today, the market for over-the-counter medicine is plentiful. In the 70s, I don’t recall Mom having many choices to get us back on our feet quickly. St. Joseph Aspirin For Children was what Mom always gave us. The crunch of those tiny pills, their distinct orange flavor, and the little soldier on the box stay in my memory. I love vintage commercials! Check this one out.
There were some medications that I distinctly remember Mom giving us to fight our symptoms. Some are obsolete, while many are still available but with different packaging.
Who remembers Aspergum? They were aspirin-containing red rectangles of gum that you pushed out of the package from the back. Mom had these on hand when we had a sore throat. The coolest thing about my Mom and Aspergum is that she would occasionally write me a note saying I had permission to chew it during class if my throat was still irritated. So cool! Chewing gum in grade school or middle school was prohibited. And that also goes for Luden’s Cherry Cough Drops, which are still available. I thought I was cool having consent to chew gum and eat cherry candy at school!
Nothing smells more like being sick as a kid than Vicks VapoRub. If we had a bad cough, Mom would start by putting a bath towel over our heads and running the hot water in our bathroom sink. When it was time for bed, she would unscrew the jar of Vicks and rub a layer on our chest and neck. I didn’t necessarily enjoy the smell of the menthol and eucalyptus, but it made me feel cozy and well taken care of. I have a jar of Vicks in my bathroom closet. Boy, does that smell take me to my bedroom on Dartmouth Ave. Another old commercial to watch.
Getting to stay at home from school, even though we didn’t feel good, had its perks. The medicine available in the 1970s that Mom gave us to make us feel better was only a small portion of how we got back on our feet. There was also the fact that I stayed in my nightgown all day, drank orange juice from concentrate with a straw, and read lots of books in bed.
But the true remedy? Having my Mom being there and taking care of me all day…
Nicole MacPherson
Vicks Vapo Rub! My mom used that on us liberally. I feel like I had a lot of colds in my childhood. I think it was because a) I was a nail biter, and just THINK of all those germies on our hands. It didn’t feel like hand washing was a huge thing in schools back then. Definitely never sanitizer. Oh, I forgot there was a b) my mom was/ is a heavy smoker, so I was always breathing in those fumes. My immune system must have been the pits!
myheartinpen
You’re right…I don’t remember any kind of hand washing in school. And what about the water fountain? Ick! I have 4 siblings and we had 1 cup in our bathroom that we shared to rinse after brushing our teeth. Can you imagine? How gross! Mom didn’t buy Dixie cups because there were 5 of us. We would have gone through a pack a day..
Kari
St. Joseph’s Aspirin! OMG, I used to love the taste of those little orange tablets! Thank you for sharing those commercials — it felt so comforting to watch them again. Vicks was always used in our house when we were sick. I used it when my kids were growing up — I’d put it on their feet with socks when they went to bed, and it made such a difference.
Reading Nicole’s comment reminded me — my parents both smoked in the house, and we were sick a lot. I remember so many of the medicines we used in the ’70s.
Did you ever have to take cola syrup as a kid? It would make our stomachs so upset — we used to throw up after. I don’t know why we did it, but we always did. Maybe because we’d eaten something we shouldn’t have? Those were wild times 🤣
Great post, as always, my friend.
myheartinpen
I love to have shared experiences with readers!..I feel a sisterhood! I quite enjoyed the orange taste too! Did the cola syrup taste like flat coke? I just looked it up..it was used for headaches, exhaustion and upset stomachs. Exhaustion?..lol My Mom smoked like a chimney too. On Sunday nights, my parents and their best friends played cards and the kitchen was, literally, smoke filled. How gross.
Kari
Yes- flat coke!
I feel like we had parallel childhoods. 💜
myheartinpen
100%!
Melanie R
I certainly remember the orange St Joseph’s childrens aspirin! It was like candy! And definitely the Vicks. It was so strong at first, but then it smelled kind of good…and worked!
myheartinpen
Childhood meds were like no other..either you loved them, or hated them! I was good with most of them. The smell of Vicks made me feel cozy!
Suz
I can still taste St. Joseph’s Children’s Aspirin! (Also, can you ever forget the taste of Flintstone’s vitamins? NOPE)
Well, Judy, I think you and I have polar opposite childhoods, so I do love reading about yours. It was cozy and loving. My Mom was a doll, but tending to our every need wasn’t in her wheelhouse! HAHA—and if she were alive, she would openly say that now.
I recall having those items on hand at home, but I think we helped ourselves.
I do have Vicks in my house now, too–it really does help with chest and nasal congestion!
myheartinpen
Oh, Flintstone vitamins for sure! I liked when I got a grape one. Every family works differently, and hopefully most people’s childhood were happy like ours! I am the youngest of 5 with my oldest sibling 10 years older than me. My Mom was a Mom for a long time..lol! I’m glad you enjoy my blog, as I do yours! I love the differences in all the women that I follow. We each have our own observations on life which is so cool.