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-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 pickup 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 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 OK. 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- a
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 tapes movies, no surround sound no cell phones, no personal computers, no internet or internet chat rooms…WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them
We fell out of trees, got cuts, 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 birthday, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told what will happen, we did out put our very many eyes
We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for 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 un-heard of they actually sided with the law. 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
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!
This was written by our buildings Coordinator –Ms.Tarrie F. She read this to us at our Residents-October Birthday Party ………..
