Those Born 1930-1979

[gypsygrace]

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930s, 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 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 street lights 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 (only 3 or 4 channels), no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, 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?!

[kcantrel]

Man, that makes me want to take the training wheels off my kid's bike. She's not even one yet.

[ShyWriter]

It's funny how fast we had to learn to deal with traffic while walking to school. No crossing guards.. no flashing yellow lights.. no 15-20 Mph school zones.. No marked crosswalks.. Your parents taught you early on in life to "look both ways" before crossing the street" and to "only cross a street at the intersections".. For the lucky few that had school buses it didn't take much to get the kids to behave. Mr or Mrs Whatsaface gave you one warning and that was it. Next time you got kicked off the bus route and had to find your own way to school after your Dad blistered your behind. It wasn't called child abuse back then; it was called discipline.

Dr. Spock (NO; not the Star Trek Spock) screwed up four generations of parents and kids and that is why things are the way they are.

~Steve..

pre-Doc Spock (and grateful of it)

And we played with firecrackers without killing ourselves (altho' Jimmy 3-fingers got his butt whipped for trying to play "chicken hand grenade" with M-80s)..

Edited December 20, 2010 by ShyWriter

[mona7865]

Now this brings back some lovely memories of my childhood : playing on the street with all the children of the neighbourhood, going to the park all by ourselves to feed the ducks, roller-skating on the pavement ...;we actually had to walk (!) to school each day ...

[gypsygrace]

Man, that makes me want to take the training wheels off my kid's bike. She's not even one yet.

I wouldn't want to do that, that is awfully young. Just my opinion.

My sons were a bit older before they had bikes.

[gypsygrace]

It's funny how fast we had to learn to deal with traffic while walking to school. No crossing guards.. no flashing yellow lights.. no 15-20 Mph school zones.. No marked crosswalks.. Your parents taught you early on in life to "look both ways" before crossing the street" and to "only cross a street at the intersections".. For the lucky few that had school buses it didn't take much to get the kids to behave. Mr or Mrs Whatsaface gave you one warning and that was it. Next time you got kicked off the bus route and had to find your own way to school after your Dad blistered your behind. It wasn't called child abuse back then; it was called discipline.

Dr. Spock (NO; not the Star Trek Spock) screwed up four generations of parents and kids and that is why things are the way they are.

~Steve..

pre-Doc Spock (and grateful of it)

And we played with firecrackers without killing ourselves (altho' Jimmy 3-fingers got his butt whipped for trying to play "chicken hand grenade" with M-80s)..

Heck yeah. We also did what we were told. We were more responsible at younger age back then too.

[gypsygrace]

Now this brings back some lovely memories of my childhood : playing on the street with all the children of the neighborhood, going to the park all by ourselves to feed the ducks, roller-skating on the pavement ...;we actually had to walk (!) to school each day ...

Yes it does. Fond memories.

[Popeye]

Thank you gypsygrace for posting this. Brings back old memories. Where have all the years gone? Always wondered why may dad always said "Life is to short". Didn't understand when I was younger, but sure do now.

[gypsygrace]

My pleasure Popeye

To all the young ones here, Yes it is all true as all of us old fogies (?) can attest to.

Good, fun times