roamingguy 300291 Report post Posted April 8, 2012 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-base paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, Locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode Our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. As infants & children, We would ride in cars with no car seats, No booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck 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, real butter and bacon.. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY? Because we were Always outside playing...that's why! 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 them 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 and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, No video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, No cell phones, No personal computers, no Internet and no 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 ? 12 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CristyCurves 169032 Report post Posted April 8, 2012 This is a very poignant post,good for you RG,It is true,and right on! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loopie 15358 Report post Posted April 8, 2012 Does it ever occur to anybody else that this generation who congratulate themselves on how great they had it are the same people who invented the Nintendo, the cell phone, the MP3 player, and pushed for all these safety precautions, pushed for participation medals for their kids, did the research on smoking etc? Sorry, but I just find it groan inducing to see one generation blame the generation it raised for how it turned out. They should pull a Michael Jackson and start with the man in the mirror. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
frosty 1349 Report post Posted April 8, 2012 taht lament has been sung thru the ages ................tiresome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grizzly Slushie 1487 Report post Posted April 8, 2012 This even goes for those born between the years and became parents themselves and instilled in them what they did when they were a child. I remember being told to go outside, and I did. My favourite part of this thread is riding our bikes to our friends homes and knocking on the door or just wave to Neil's Mom and she would wave us in. Making friends was easy, one friend had all the new toys, one was the risk taker, the other had a tree house and you had one that was the muscle *which was me*. Now with children who were born after 1980 and now who are parents themselves do absolutely nothing, to a degree, with their children. Fat children, they become isolationists, EMO's ha ha, now you have groups, there were groups in the past, but they were made up of children who just wanted to play, nothing to do with status.....I do not know but I find that the children who were born after 1980 and have children themselves.....their children just seem to be lazy, fat, take no responsibility and have only one parent.....really sucks. My childhood was fun and I remember on 3 occasions where my Parents sided with the law ha ha. The Go-Kart bit happened to my Dad ha ha, he busted up his leg and My Gram, his Mother, was hard core that she bandaged him up herself with a homemade cast out of newspapers and some concoction she made herself that is originally used in her Meat Pies ha ha ha ha. Great thread roamingguy, this is a keeper. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mc Lovin 797 Report post Posted April 8, 2012 other than the mud pies and worm eating, this describes me ... knocked out teeth falling off bike, broken wrist from tree fall, in by the time street lights came on, go cart racing, tree fort building ..... was I being watched .... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maverick 2873 Report post Posted April 8, 2012 To the kids born in the 90s and 00s, eat a bunch of food and do drugs and whatever you like while you're still young because you're going to be up to your eyes in debt from the pensioners, paying $5 a liter for gas, and wearing hazmat suits outdoors to protect from environmental damage when you're grown up. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Secrets of Victoria 7208 Report post Posted April 9, 2012 Being caught within those demonic years, I remember riding my bike with no safety gear, skateboarding without a million miles of equipment on, going to my friends places (just cause it was fun and I had many), and having to be within earshot of my own house when the streetlights came on. I grew up in a very small place, and believe me, my mother knew where I was at any given time of the day, no matter how hard it tried to evade her! Lol There was no way I was getting into trouble without my mother knowing about, and she knew WAY before I got home. Hehehehe As for walkmans, fancy bikes, Rollerblade, safety equipment, and the like, my family couldn't afford it never mind have it for all of us, 3 of us shared one bike! I have to admit though, growing up I had some fun times, as poor as we were I always had friends, and that was worth more to me than anything materialistic that my parents couldn't afford anyway. I find the younger generation, a lot of the times, takes for granted what they have. Giving everything and doing everything for your kids is not the way I want to do things, I've been working since I could walk, so I learned the value of money at a very early age. I always had everything that I needed (which wasn't much) but anything I wanted, I worked for. I like to think that society has learned from each generation, at least I hope they do. I was instilled with good values, I only hope the next generation is as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blazejowski 436 Report post Posted April 19, 2012 Sad, but true... kids are pussies these days.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
