I thought this email
I received from my cousin tonight
was worth passing on....
Not sure if it was Jay Leno who
said it, but worth remembering....
Did You grow up in
the
1930s, '40s, '50s,
'60s or '70s!!
First, we survived
being born to mothers who may have 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-based 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 and
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.
'60s or '70s!!
First, we survived
being born to mothers who may have 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-based 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 and
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
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, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were
no video games,
no 150 channels on cable,
no video movies
or DVDs,
no surround-sound or
CDs,
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 those 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
We were given
BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses, 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
to 85 years have seen 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 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 ?
I was told this is a
Jay Leno quote, but not sure
"With hurricanes, tornados,
fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the
country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist
attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God Out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
{My Personal Thoughts}
Now I am glad Lead paint is gone, we Have seat Belts & Car seats,
I never let my kids play out side without Me being right there
(& My oldest will be 30 next month)
I said the Pledge & had Pray in
school....
just amazing how things have changed so much....
Better Off in some ways, So much Worse in Others
Hope you Enjoyed
We had it made! I wouldn't trade a minute of it for nothing. It made me who I am, bad and good. I can leave the bad where it belongs and the good still makes me smile...;)
ReplyDeleteHugs- Tete