I was reading 40 years ago in our local Newspaper a few weeks ago and saw something about the Sunnyslope and Sawitsky's drive in restaurants.  I have lots of memories there.  I was never allowed to car hop but Brenda worked at both places and I got to go with her. I still don't know what the difference was between working there and just hanging out there but that's the way it was. 
I thought car-hopping looked easy but I sure found out it wasn't when Margaret decided one night that I could help out for my supper. She always gave me supper anyway but  they were very busy that night.  The easy part was going out for the order, I didn't mind that at all, but carrying that tray out was a different thing all-together. The first one I carried out, did I say carried out, the door hit my backside and the tray went flying. I was so embarrassed I didn't want to go again. I laid low for a spell and decided to try again. This time I made it all the way to the car but when I tried to attach the tray on the car door I tipped the whole thing in to the car on the drivers  lap and ran off crying. Bless Brenda's heart she always tried to take care of me. She cleaned up my mess, hugged me, and sat me down.
Kids gathered at both drive-in's on week-ends. Some friends pulled their cars close enough so they could visit. Others went inside where the juke box was. You got three plays for a quarter. It was never quiet inside or out.
When the County fair and carnival was in town Brenda would take her supper break and we went down 64 highway to the fair grounds which were on the edge of town. Not a big place like the fair is now but just as enjoyable to my thinking. The brick building next to the grounds held the  things on display to win ribbons. Out back somewhere was the stock barn. I never went out there so don't know much about it. I never had much money but Brenda had some tips so we got a few rides before going back to the Margaret's
The parking lot was full to the brim when we got back. Margaret and Brenda convinced me to try car-hopping again until the orders thinned down. I did much better this time because my stubborn pride kicked in big time. I didn't plan on making a fool of myself again, at least not that night I wasn't. I worked a couple of hours and Margaret offered me a job. I told Daddy how well I had done and asked if I could work. No Way No How, not even for my supper. I guess I got my stubbornness straight from home. Sometimes I could sniffle and beg but it didn't work this time.
I got to go with Daddy and Mama to do things like, pick cotton, peas, cucumbers, strawberries, peaches, and  a berry called young berries. I didn't enjoy that as much as car hopping but I was with my family. I suspect being where they could watch me was the difference in car hopping and the field work, don't you? I made enough money to buy some school clothes, shoes, and other supplies I would need. We only had to have the basics then not the long lists they are given now. Calculators? We had never heard of them and we learned well without them. Our arithmetic books had the addition,subtraction, division, and multiplication  scales right there in the back pages.
I never did 'blow' my money after I got older and the pride kicked in. Then I wanted nice clothes and things like that so I spent my money on those things.  Before that I had spent my money as fast as made it on candy and trinkets.  The money was mine to spend as I wished but my parents tried to teach us the value of even a penny, which by the way would buy something then.

I'm proud of the lessons I learned from my parents even when it involved a burning backside.