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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-based 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 pick up 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 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 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, X-boxes, no video
games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape 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 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 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
unheard 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!
And 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 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.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
ED's NOTE: First I want to thank my friend Tom for stirring up some
great memories by sharing this email. Second, I do acknowledge that
some of the things that have changed are for the better like no smoking
and drinking during pregnancy and lead paint being removed from our
cribs. I also feel that seat belt use is a good idea too!
I can remember running and playing outside with my friends growing
up provided many great lessons and memories that my children will
have far less of because of the time they live in...computers, cell
phones, video games, etc.
In fact, I've never seen any of the kids in our neighborhood start a
pick up game of baseball, basketball, hockey, football or anything...
kind of sad when you think about it.
These were all staples of my youth that I enjoyed and learned from...
anyway. Time moves on for all of us and we can only move forward.
Enjoy your day!
Anyone up for a game of Wiffle Ball?
By:Dave Boufford
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I was born in the 60's and I have to agree with Dave! It is such a shame that kids now-a-days do not enjoy the days like we use to.
I remember playing outside everyday, and one of my favorite things to do was to play in the mud. We use to build tunnels underground that would go this way and that way; some would be at different levels to look like a waterfall. Then came the moment we all worked so hard for...the pouring of the water into the beginning hole and watching it go in, down and around, in and out of tunnels and flowing down the waterfalls we made!! Boy, was that great!
My friends and I would be so happy and excited to see it all come together. Then it was time to go for a swim in the 2 foot pool we had for a few minutes before we played a game of Simon Says, or Red Light Green Light! Oh, those were the days! Us sit in the house back then...how boring that would have been!
And Dave was right about another thing...we hardly ever saw overweight kids back then. How could we be? We were always too busy running, jumping rope, swinging from trees or on the school playground, going on walks in the woods...always on the go!
And if it rained, and we couldn't play outside, we would play board games and other things inside. Ask alot of kids nowdays about a board game and many of them will look at you like you are from another planet!
This is one thing I try to keep alive with my grandchildren...the fun of board games. In fact I just bought them the other day the game of "Trouble". Remember "Trouble"? We use to love pushing down the bubble and watch the dice pop up and then move our men around the board until one of us would win! Oh, to be a kid again back in our day...I'd give anything to do it all over again! What about you?
Marilyn L. Ali
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