And we survived

[JWR]

TO ALL THE KIDS
WHO SURVIVED the
1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they
were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can,
and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took
hitchhiking as infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special 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 cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with
sugar, 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
150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms.......
WE HAD 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!

Little League 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!

These generations have 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!

If YOU are one of them . . CONGRATULATIONS!

[Cloud]

Those who control the past control the future; those who control the present control the past. --- George OrwellI think I sometimes am. Do you know any other of them?

[Not Sir Phobos]

TO ALL THE KIDS
WHO SURVIVED the
1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they
were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can,
and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we
rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took
hitchhiking as infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special 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 cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with
sugar, 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
150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's,
no cell phones, no personal computer! s, no Internet or chat rooms.......
WE HAD 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!

Little League 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!

These generations have 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!

If YOU are one of them . . CONGRATULATIONS!

Lies!

[glorff]

I resemble those remarks

[blueheaven]

Soooo true. Man, the things we did as kids. I survived part of the 70's, and the 80's and 90's. And this generation I am seeing now cannot deal with things like germs, disappointment, injury, discipline, or a decent work ethic. I remember playing in the front yard, drinking from the hose, running under power lines, and having OFF! sprayed on me. I remember getting sun burns and playing the "who can peel the biggest slice of skin off" game. I broke at least two bones every year. My cousin and I would play with the neighbor kids outside all day, and my mother would have to TELL us to come in! All of this, and I didn't develop any skin problems, health issues, tumors, lead poisoning, nor did I get abducted. Imagine that!

Anyone remember that metal merry-go-round of death? You'd get on and your friends would spin you so fast you could see into the future.

[EternityOfPain]

Anyone remember that metal merry-go-round of death? You'd get on and your friends would spin you so fast you could see into the future.

Well.. I dont fit in the catagory BUT about 10 years back when i was a kid i remember going to this really old park that had what you described a metal merry-go-round. It was all metal and there were bars that you would hold on to. I remember once i could have swore i broke my head as a friend of mine was spinning it so fast (and of course you gotta love how you can't really "slow it down" while your riding it) and i literally flew off. Ah... Youth......

[wELCOME cONSUMER]

It feels good to be 24.

[sailorsv13]

Only 20...but I play outside all of the time, and eat whatever the heck I want! So I guess you could say I am trying to follow your wonderful example!!!
Note: I DO NOT HAVE A CELL PHONE! I hate those confounded things
~ Bri ~

[Cloud]

And. Is outside all of the time and eat whatever the heck he or she want a game or a musical instrument?

[morgan]

That is so true!
Especially the part about kids not learning how to deal with pressure and failure. They don't even do time tests in most schools because it makes kids nervous.

It is funny though - parents from the 40's thought that way about their rock & roll hot roding teens and parents from the 50's felt the same way about there no-good-hippie kids and their jungle music and lack of dicipline and respect of authority. I guess every generation feels the same way about the next.

[Not Sir Phobos]

The park near our house tore out their merry go round, twisty slide, jungle gym, half buried tractor tires, and swings about a month ago. Everybody who takes their kid to the park is sooooooooo unhappy about it.

[EternityOfPain]

I dont know about you guys.. But I still love my pet rock.

[transmet]

It is funny though - parents from the 40's thought that way about their rock & roll hot roding teens and parents from the 50's felt the same way about there no-good-hippie kids and their jungle music and lack of discipline and respect of authority. I guess every generation feels the same way about the next.

While this is true (and I try to keep telling myself that) I can't seem to shake this unrelenting feeling in my gut that things are growing very different for kids at an exponential rate. The insights that JWR mentioned are things that all generations had in common up till this one. And it's only becoming worse. Hell, out here in L.A. you have more outdoor places to take your dog than your kids. Sad, really.

I remember all those things you mentioned JWR, as well as things like:

Always needing to have a fort built to retreat to, and make plans...
(This was until my dad helped build my brother and I a real one in the back yard, complete with tar-papered roof to keep out the rain.)

Actually having a bedtime that meant "go to sleep!"

Always having respect for my parents, because to do otherwise wasn't wise.

Playing board games on rainy afternoons, and enjoying it.

Reading the Sunday comics outside under my favorite tree, and then climbing that tree all the way to the top - just 'cause.

Hiking and exploring and sometimes... even staying out overnight. (I really had a lot of Calvin* in me when I was a kid.) *Calvin & Hobbes

Being able to go out on Halloween after it was dark by ourselves (at a certain age - 9 or 10) and rake in the candy.

Playing baseball, soccer, swimming and taking karate - often at around the same time of year (my poor mother).

And on that note, playing an organized sport, like kickball or tag, during recess at school.

Not needing a friggin' energy drink just to get through the day (did anyone catch the new "Cocaine" energy drink some ass came up with on the Daily Show last night? Jason Jones is the man. )

...


I feel very lucky to have grown up around the time I did. We were the last of Non-GPS generation.

[sailorsv13]

eck double post...see top of next page

[Cloud]

Cough. Oh you knew already.