For the 30 something & older crowd

[Killer Joe]

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while
they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and
didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright
lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. We
rode our bikes without 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, bread and 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 everything was cool. 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. After running
into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox, no 99 channels, no DVDs,
no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no internet
or chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside to find them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms. Although
we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor
did the worms live in us forever.

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.

The idea of a parent bailing us out of jail if we broke the law was
unheard of. They sided with the law.

CONGRATULATIONS on surviving your childhood! 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 kid's lives
were regulated for their own good.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't
it?

 

[Jigglypuff]

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while
they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and
didn't get tested for diabetes.

I'd chalk it up to ignorance.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright
lead-based paints.

Again, simple ignorance.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. We
rode our bikes without helmets... not to mention the risks we took
hitchhiking.

I guess I'm just too "new age" to appreciate the attempts to protect my kids from doing stupid things.

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.

Again, I'd hate to attempt to protect my kids.

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.

I don't know anyone who drinks water from a bottle. Unless they filled it themselves.

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it,
but we weren't overweight because we were always outside playing!

Okay.

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were
back when the streetlights came on everything was cool. No one was able
to reach us all day. And we were OK.

Luckily.

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.

Okay.

We did not have Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox, no 99 channels, no DVDs,
no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no internet
or chat rooms. We had friends and we went outside to find them!

Sounds like you had a very dull existence.

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no
lawsuits from these accidents.

Okay, I'll buy this one. We do need less stupid lawsuits.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms. Although
we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor
did the worms live in us forever.

Okay.

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.

And now we do what exactly?

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.

This one I definitely don't agree with. Little League is a recreational league. I don't see any reason to turn away kids who want to play. They have plenty of time in their lives to deal with exclusion and disappointment.

The idea of a parent bailing us out of jail if we broke the law was
unheard of. They sided with the law.

Good call. I'll buy this one too.

I really don't understand why this was posted. Are you just trying to brag about your childhood?

(- Steve -)

 

[DarthFerret]

I think (and agree with Killer Joe) that this was posted to show how government and public intrest group regulation has ended up not only coddling children, but has possibly taken society itself down a spiraling path of conformity. I am not advocating a non-conformist viewpoint. Just pointing out that a lot of this new age "Dr. Phil don't allow a child to be a child" mentality is actually taking away from a childs normal development. I, too, remember not making the team, and I did not end up scarred for life from it. I never have (and never will) worn a bicycle helmet, and I am perfectly fine, even though I crashed more times than I will willingly admit. I live close to one of the "fattest cities in America" and I would have to guess that 95 out of 100 households have video games, cable TV, and internet. The children where I live do not go outside to play hardly at all, and I live in a very secure and nice apartment complex, complete with playground and pool.

As for the food, aside from the fact that one of my nephews (whom i live with his parents) has diabetes Type 1 and cannot eat a lot of sweets due to insulin shock, the children here are fed balanced meals, yet are still allowed to indulge in normal "kid snacks".

And of course, if it was not a point in the above it is one of my major issues with society, I believe that PARENTS should be doing the parenting of thier children, not the school system, the government, the Television, or (and especially so) the internet.

Oprah Winfrey eat your heart out!

<snicker>

 

[Spiderman]

I thought I saw this thing on snopes but can't find it after a quick search. Oh well.

The main problem with this piece is that it lumps the "innovators, inventors, risk-takers", whatever and tries to tie them with the seemingly dangers of childhood back then. But it doesn't offer any evidence that such people experienced such adverse conditions (not counting the general childhood activites like playing outside). I mean, was Bill Gates born to a mother that smoked and drank in enough quantities that would affect a baby's development? Was he in a lead-based painted crib? And so on...

 

[Killer Joe]

Dang it! I hate it when i forget to write "Disclaimers". This was one of those "Forwards" you get from folks from time to time and I thought it'd be interesting to read replies from it.

Yes, it's full of generalizations and is very judgemental but there some things I agree with.

My two little ones play on our block alot. We live in a classic neighborhood with street lights, sidewalks with not-so-perfect front yards with lots of good climbing trees and big old houses, ours is a 3 story high very wid and long house built in the 1920's. You can't walk ten feet without stepping on some type of sidewalk chalk drawing or little messages to each other.

The difference between my childhood (which is similar to this) is that either my wife or I feel compelled to sit out on the porch the entire time watching our kids and the neighbor kids, too. Other parents on our block do the same and even though it may a little inconveinent for us, it's well worth it to see our kids enjoy this type of lifestyle. That was not the case when I was a child, I go out and play, at 6 years old, unwatched, no need to watch anyone because no one was going to drive up in a crappy brokendown camero and snatch us up and duck taped and put into a trunk. Nearly unheard of back in 1968. I was always told to come home when the street lights were on to check in and then I could go back outside for a little while longer in the front of the house. We would not let our two go unattended outside for any amount of time, ever.

The other stuff, well, I sat on the bench for our little league baseball team and football team because we had a 'no-cut' policy and I did what I was supposed to, I slowly grew to hate sports and jocks. So I think that experience did it's job well .

Back of the pick up truck rides, I always thought that was dangerous and besides, as a kid, if we ever saw a red pick up truck we ran and hide because all of the parents would talk about "Red Necks" and how horrible they were, so they were like 'boogyman' to us.

Sharing pop from bottles. Yeah, we did it. I hated to share mine not becuase of germs but because I was huskie (a term used by the Sears Stores to describe Fat Boys) and I wanted the whole thing to myself.

What I didn't comment neither bothers me or invigorates me.

 

[Spiderman]

I think times of changes since when I was a kid also - you didn't have teens shooting up their schools either. But that's just the march of time...

 

[Nightstalkers]

I think times of changes since when I was a kid also - you didn't have teens shooting up their schools either. But that's just the march of time...

From what I understand, it was kids buying pellet guns and shooting up the countryside instead.

Now a days the countryside is gone and kids have nothing to do but play violent video games, become brainwashed by this stripper called Britney Spears, and try to steal their parents handguns.

Hmm... Well, I'm just an 18 yr old anarchist, but I sure do miss old times when you could go skinny dipping and the only thing you'd have to worry about is other teenagers stealing your clothes.

 

[DarthFerret]

LOL, I did that once....(stole the clothes, but why not...she was a hottie!)

I grew up in those "good ole days" and I tend to agree with most of it. (but not all of it). My parents let me ride my bike anywhere I wanted (and I was only 10 yrs old) and never had to worry about what would happen to me in broad daylight. (After dark was a different story, but my bike had no headlights...lol) We did NOT have metal detectors in our High School. Shoot, the teachers never even caught us smoking behind it. Coke was a beverage. Hoe was a garden tool. And Crack is what you do when telling a joke. a Screw held boards together, and the Wind was all that blew!

I kinda miss those days, and feel a yearing for them, but then, reality check, they will never be here again, so lets move on...

 

[Oversoul]

Coke was a beverage. Hoe was a garden tool. And Crack is what you do when telling a joke. a Screw held boards together, and the Wind was all that blew!

I kinda miss those days, and feel a yearing for them, but then, reality check, they will never be here again, so lets move on...

Coke is a beverage. It got its name from the drug, so the drug meaning is older than the beverage one. Hoe is still a garden tool. I don't use it because I can't garden worth anything. Crack? Come on, that has meant several different things for a long time now. Okay, so crack cocaine (I'm not going to play dumb--that's what you were referring to) is relatively new, but that's innovation! Screws still hold boards together, although I prefer glue. The wind was ALL that blew? I doubt that...

 

[DarthFerret]

LOL, I couldn't stop myself, mainly because I just KNEW you would nitpick that apart....And I just had to see it!

 

[Oversoul]

Aren't I predictable?