I got this in an email from a friend…and thought it needed to be shared. :D
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s !!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes. Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead- based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we rode in cars with no seat belts or air bags, and riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a treat. We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We ate white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren’t overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms. WE had REAL friends and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!
School teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law and gave us a clip!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever! The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned..
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors in your hand, doesn’t it?!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! That brought back fond memories of doing all of that. :satisfied:
by kev June 30th, 2005 at 3:56 amthat was very good and so true and brought back memories for me, also.
by Robyn June 30th, 2005 at 9:07 amHow good this is and so very true. A walk down memory lane for me.
by Robyn June 30th, 2005 at 9:09 amCONGRATS to every one of us.
Oh, I’ve read this one before, and all I can say is that we weren’t whinny teenagers.
by Silma June 30th, 2005 at 9:54 amYESSSS!!
And how on earth did we manage to survive? :laugh:
Raine–running with scissors…
by Raine June 30th, 2005 at 11:26 amDefinitely a stroll down memory lane! Though I do beg to differ on the point about REAL friends. Some of the people I’ve met online are the best friends I’ve ever had. :)
by Tori June 30th, 2005 at 3:27 pmYes, it was sheer hell to have to use your imagination to make up other worlds in order to play with your friends.
As for the other ‘dangers’ of being a child, it’s a miracle so many of us survived. LOL! Not!
by Jordan June 30th, 2005 at 3:44 pmI knew you all would appreciate it!!
It sure made me smile. :D
by Sasha June 30th, 2005 at 4:03 pmI’ve read this one before, too. It’s so true, and almost makes you feel a bit sad for the kids now a days, and that vast wonder world that only their imagination and creativity can come up with.
by Jaq June 30th, 2005 at 7:40 pmLOL, Sasha. That’s a good one.
by Suzanne July 1st, 2005 at 1:35 pmLoved this.
by Jill July 3rd, 2005 at 11:49 am