Kid Cid Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 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 Kool-aid 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! 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 so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 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 Kool-aid 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! 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 so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocknrobn26 Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I'll save this for the policeman who wants to give me a ticket for not having my 4 year old grandson in his car seat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 this era is by far the worst... I live in Philadelphia.... people are dumber now than they ever were...you have all kinds of drug addicts using all kinds of crap... population has skyrocketed since then so that means less oxygen, more drivers, more pollution etc. etc.. people may be babied more now....but the risk is much higher.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Misfit Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 people may be babied more now....but the risk is much higher.... I think that's kinda the point. Risk isn't something you do today -- it's just something that's there. Passive risk for a passive culture. My first paying job was bailing hay. I was 12. I'd ride to the farm in the back of a pickup, hang around machinery that could butcher me in an instant if I didn't pay attention, rode around with the hay, and the farmer would reward us with a nice, cold beer at the end of the day. Today, the state would put me in a foster home and the farmer would end up in jail and probably labeled a sexual predator. Honestly ... This may be the first generation where the older generation, instead of feeling jealous of youth and freedom (as it has always been), instead just sorta feels sorry for the younger generation. Something's just not right about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avernus Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I think that's kinda the point. Risk isn't something you do today -- it's just something that's there. Passive risk for a passive culture. My first paying job was bailing hay. I was 12. I'd ride to the farm in the back of a pickup, hang around machinery that could butcher me in an instant if I didn't pay attention, rode around with the hay, and the farmer would reward us with a nice, cold beer at the end of the day. Today, the state would put me in a foster home and the farmer would end up in jail and probably labeled a sexual predator. Honestly ... This may be the first generation where the older generation, instead of feeling jealous of youth and freedom (as it has always been), instead just sorta feels sorry for the younger generation. Something's just not right about that. I took it like they had a rough upbringing and we have it easy type of deal... I could be wrong.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Holy Roller Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I took it like they had a rough upbringing and we have it easy type of deal... I could be wrong.... From those of us that lived thru it with most of our limbs and eyeballs intact, I think we look back on those days as fantastic times to live. Kids today are too coddled and manipulated by adults who need to leave the young'uns alone. Except for the crackheads and predators. Them we could shoot with BB guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I think that's kinda the point. Risk isn't something you do today -- it's just something that's there. Passive risk for a passive culture. My first paying job was bailing hay. I was 12. I'd ride to the farm in the back of a pickup, hang around machinery that could butcher me in an instant if I didn't pay attention, rode around with the hay, and the farmer would reward us with a nice, cold beer at the end of the day. Today, the state would put me in a foster home and the farmer would end up in jail and probably labeled a sexual predator. Honestly ... This may be the first generation where the older generation, instead of feeling jealous of youth and freedom (as it has always been), instead just sorta feels sorry for the younger generation. Something's just not right about that. I grew up doing the same thing. Lived in town but worked on the farm from 3rd grade on. Most farmers around here don't even square bail anymore cause they can't find the help....kids today are lazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 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 Kool-aid 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! 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 so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?! Seen this before but still love it as it is so very true ...good post Kid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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