Once again Baby Blues reminds us we are Old-Timers and are becoming obsolete. The younger generation doesn’t write in cursive! And watch the way they hold their pencils.
All of us old fogeys were taught the proper way to hold a pencil, like the picture above. This method always produces a nice callous on the second finger of the writing hand.
But now children are taught to hold a pencil like this. What Tha????? If I held a pencil like that in elementary school, WHAP! a big knot upside your head with the big yardstick I mentioned in one of my earlier posts. And another thing that is a dead give away to tell if you are an old fogey….
If you have one of these you are becoming obsolete. This is how most smallpox vaccination scars looked.
Sometimes if you had a more severe reaction to the vaccine, your scar looked like this (or even worse).
They stopped giving smallpox vaccinations in 1972, so if you got one that year you would have been 5-6 years old then. That would make you 45-46 years old now if you have this scar. So guys, if a lady tells you she is 39 years old and she has one of these, just say “ UH HUH, yeah, alright”. All ladies deserve their little secrets.
Tags: Baby Blues Comics, comics, how to hold a pencil, smallpox, smallpox vaccinations
doublebhomestead 
Interesting. My wife’s scar is actually on her leg she says and although I was hit being born in 65 I never had a scar form at all. Then again a number of my scars have faded over the years.
My son cannot write his way out of a paper bag but he can type like a madman.
Preppy, I’ve never heard on a scar on the leg. Occasionally I know they put the vaccination on the shoulder instead of on the arm but never on the leg. I guess different schools did it differently.
SInce I remember both of these – did the one and have the other, then I guess that also makes me a member of the old fogeys group and proud of it!
Beatrice, some people say they don’t want to grow old, but in my mind it sure beats the alternative!
Excellent post! I am kind of obsolete, but not completely… I think haha
Oh, I bet you are far from obsolete! Just keep posting those excellent posts on your blog as we all follow along.
I laughed, because I have one of those scars – and I’m 39! But, I was an Army Brat and we were stationed in Turkey in the mid-70’s. I’d say it was about 50-50 of my college buddies that had them. That being said, I’ve subconsciously checked for that scar more than once to guesstimate a persons age. And, I have quite the knuckle callus.
Oh, you’re 39 you say? Riiiiighttttt. Ok, I can see where you might get one at a later date if you are somewhere other than the USA. So I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and say OK, I believe you!
I’m only 32 and I have one of those. I lived in Mexico City from 18 months to 5 years. I was born in 1981.
Thanks for stopping by, and yes if you lived somewhere other than the US you might indeed have a vaccination scar if you are younger.
I am far from being 65 , which in my opinion I don’t consider old.. anywhom yes in Mexico and other countries that vaccine is given as a newborn. I just turned 21 and have that scar. Professors find it odd that I have had smallpox and Tb vaccine, guess it wasn’t commonly given here when you were first born.
I got mine when I was in Elementary School, probably in first grade. I realize they do things differently in other countries. Thanks so much for commenting especially on such on old post!
I’m only 16 and I have the smallpox scar on my arm! I think it’s because I was born in Asia
Tara, thanks for stopping by. And yes you are right, people born in different countries other than the USA have different life experiences than we do. Thus you do have a smallpox scar even though you are not old and ancient like me!