When the author's mother was 12 in the 1970s, she enjoyed listening to popular bands from that time like ABBA. As a teenager in the late 1970s and early 1980s, big hair, leg warmers, and short skirts were fashionable. The author's mother enjoyed watching shows on TV like The Brady Bunch and Get Smart, and her favorite movie was Grease. Pastimes included roller skating and playing with Barbie dolls. Life in South Africa during apartheid included carless days to reduce oil consumption and very little crime was reported at the time.