The Olden Days
I received something similar to this in an email and I felt the need to put my own stamp on the ideas and share.TO ALL THE 'KIDS' WHO WERE BORN IN THE 'OLDEN DAYS' :
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 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 children, we would ride in cars with no 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 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 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...we went outside and rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door, rang the bell or just yelled for them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and 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. There were no lawsuits from any of 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.
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!
Our 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...get this...
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
Please take a moment and forward this post to anyone younger than you so they will know how brave we were. Be proud of yourself for having survived and enjoy your view today!!! I intend to enjoy mine (now that the heat wave has passed!!!).
PS - The larger type is because our eyes are shot at our age.
posted by Mr. G @ 8/03/2006 08:01:00 AM
Comments: 6
