A Dying Tradition

Friday a tradition ended. The daytime soap, Guiding Light, completed its long TV run. It was the first of the TV soaps and, when it began, Roosevelt was the U. S. President. I never watched the show, but have seen soaps come and go over the years.

When I was a girl, my family lived for a year out in the country while my dad was in Japan. My grandmother used to watch 3 soaps; The Doctors, Another World, and Days of Our Lives. My mother, aunt, and I used to gather around the TV each day to watch. Of course, more was implied than shown in soaps back then.

A lot was different in those days. More women were at home and the soaps were entertainment as they cared for the house and their children. Women who didn't have time during the day to turn the pages of a book, could get their romance fix from TV. --And no man could be as romantic as those soap opera guys.

The Doctors bit the dust in the early '80s. Another World--my personal favorite--left the air in the late '90s. Only Days is left to remind me of the time when family gathered around the TV to see what kind of trouble Doug and Julie were into this week.

I confess. I haven't watched a soap in about 6 months. Even before that my viewing was sporadic. --Been to busy with work and life. That's what's killing soaps. Women are out in the work place or in the world. They don't stay home to raise the children or care for the home. For better or worst, times have changed.