TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 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-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 made with Lard, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank FLAV- OR- 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 OKAY.
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 Play stations, 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 would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
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. What can kids today do besides push buttons!
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.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?
This is always the best of times and the worst of times. This is the week of the finale of my favorite TV shows. I guess it is a good thing that I will have a few months free of TV. I am especially sad that 24 isn't going to be returning. That was my #1 favorite show. The really scary thing is I believe there really is a Jack Bauer out there and we just don't know about him. I even think there might be more than one. I am also convinced if we know all the goings on behind the government we would be scared to death since they are all crooks. I will also miss the Survivor, Amazing Race and of course American Idol. Guess I am going to have to find a new hobby. Any suggestions?
Our Easter celebrations always started weeks earlier when Nana began making our special Easter dresses. We would spend hours being fitted and hemmed until she had each one of our dresses perfect. Next would come all new clothes, underwear, slip, socks and shoes. Sometimes if there was enough money we would get a hat or a purse, which made it extra special.
The night before Easter we would color Easter Eggs and get a bath. Our baskets were always hidden and the first thing in the morning we would find them. We would then go to church as a family, something we rarely did. But I think that was when I first learned that I loved the Lord. I can't remember a time I didn't believe. I always knew Jesus died for me, although it was many years before I fully understood what that really means for me personally. Today it is the center of my life. The basis for all my joys.
