THOSE BORN 1925-1975:
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-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 infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, 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 Kool-aid made with sugar, 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 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 Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, 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 or 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 poke 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?!
The quote is by Jay Leno: "With hurricanes, tornadoes, 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?"
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
sunnie you hit the nail on the head here. kids nowdayz for the most part by age 10 are totally addicted to the cell phone p/c etc.alot of them need a old fashioned cherry tree switch on the tail around 7 or 8 and never get it and by 11 or 12 there telling the parent they will have them arrested if they touch them. thanks to this liberal society and military state we live in now.and if oscama gets in the house it will be the complete dismantle of this crumbling nation sad but true.
ReplyDeleteWow, can I ever relate to this. I was born in the 50's and grew up with EVERYTHING this talks about. Yes, for sure we never sat in side the house all day (even on rainy days) We were outside from sunrise to sunset on weekends playing in the yard, went fishing, swam in the streams (now you cant even put your toes in the Wicomico River ) - no computer keyboards to keep us tied up to and no text messaging to communicate with - we actually TALKED to our friends in person!
ReplyDeleteTimes have changed but I must admit - THEY were the good ole days!
You forgot the dayold bread, outhouses,corncob pipes, on/on. Those were the days and we had God in everything we did.Black and White.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot playing under the fire plug on hot summer days. I doubt you did that in this area but we city kids sure had a blast seeing who could spray the water the highest on the houses across the street or washing cars with the spray as they drove down the street. Also, every neighbor on the street would give you a swift kick in the pants if they caught you doing something you weren't supposed to be doing. Then you got it again when you went home. We played halfies, chink and baseball on the streets. Your fist was the bat, a manhole cover was home plate, a crack in the street was the mound, the curb was first base, a piece of cardboard or a basket top was 2nd base and someones car door was third. We ate water ice while sitting on the curb. Why did we become to busy to enjoy the little things in life?
ReplyDeleteDonna, Then you all found out about the crabs and Ocean City.God help us.
ReplyDeleteSunny, don't know if you authored this but either way it's a great summary of how things really were in my neighborhood in Salisbury. I would add playing army, tunnels and forts, real sand lot baseball and football games on a daily basis, catching frogs in Tony Tank Lake and watching my Mom and Dad hug each other and say .."I love you".
ReplyDeletewe all survived to see everything that was taught to us as kids turn out to be shit. follow the dream and work hard and everything will be good, you still believe that crap. this is america(new) and here the biggest piece of shit wins. capitalism is built on greed.
ReplyDeleteSunny didn't write this. It's been traveling the Internet a good while.
ReplyDeletePeople would love to have their kids play outside and walk to friends, but it's become too dangerous. Remember the article in the Daily Times who's daughter was almost kidnapped, but a neighbor intervened?
Times have changed, for sure. And there's some truth to the commenter who said it's due to greed.
touche'
ReplyDeleteAnon 951, I was no stranger to crabs or the ocean. We spent a good part of our summers down the shore, when you could actually enjoy the beach. No trash, broken glass, syringes etc, just white sand and waves.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the sentiment behind the essay, but I disagree with the blanket statement that those were the "good ole days."
ReplyDeleteThere a lot of things from "back in the day" that were not so glorious, just like there are today. I think there's a misconception out there. I mean you couldn't even say "pregnant" on TV, show a married couple sharing a bed, and Elvis' hip gyrating was shocking. People looked the other way at child and spousal abuse. Civil rights still had a long way to go. For those people, they were not the good old days.
As for safety, like car seats and riding in the back of a truck...well, it was only good for those that survived it right?
When you know better, you do better. My final thought...every generation feels like the next is worse than they were but I think we just aren't afraid to talk about things now, and the media is a substantial presence in the world and reports a lot more than they were able to before.
To all the kids who DID NOT survive! I guess for some it is fun to think things were better in the past. My brother who was born in 1968 died when he was 7 because he was not in a car seat or wearing a seatbelt in a car accident. Sometimes things do change for the better.
ReplyDeleteBucky Covington called. He wants his song back.
ReplyDeleteMy grand kids still play outdoors, ride their bikes, skate in the drive way, have things to climb on and slide down, and they play outdoors my children did the same things, though the woods was bigger, and the amount of land we owned was larger. The things that were "unsafe" in some cases have been "over protected" (car seats is an extreme) though necessary I feel.There are some good points and some bad. However, it is the PARENTS fault that the children do not play outside, it is the PARENTS fault that unattended children are harmed, (generally speaking) it is the PARENTS fault that "outside" is an unknown, because they do not want to go "outside" they do not want to teach the children about the birds, dirt, bugs, playing in a puddle in the driveway etc.PARENTS are why the kids are inside and playing with expensive electronic toys. Give your baby pots and pans, wooden spoons, plastic containers, blocks, etc.The "good ole days" are still there, Parents are just too lazy to realize them.
ReplyDeleteTo all...
ReplyDeleteI was born in the 80's, so I don't know what it was like when you all were young, but it DOES sound great!!!
Think about this though. I am at the older end of the generation you say does nothing but play computer games and talk on cell phones and has no values and is inactive and shows no respect and doesn't know the value of a dollar and so on... but the irony is, my generation didn't conjure up this behavior, it was taught to us and instilled in us by YOUR GENERATION. You are our parents, and maybe some are our grandparents. I am just as displeased as all of you with the state of the nation's youth, but rather than say, "remember the good old days" maybe you should be saying, "where did WE go wrong?"
i completely agree with Anon. 8:35
ReplyDeletethis hasnt been traveling the internet or written by anyone who thinks they can take credit for it, Bucky Covenington.
wait a sec, i grew up in the 90's and just about all of that pertains to my childhood to my mom smoked and drank while she was pregnant with me and my brother we we were ALWAYS out side and when the street lights came on we were to be inside or we got it good. we built forts and tree houses and played in the woods and we never used the phones we always went to our friends houses to talk to them the only thing that doesnt pertain is that neintendo we had those. but just about everything is exactly how my childhood was so i think the title should be for the kids who survived the 30's 40's 50's 60's 70's 80's and the good Ole 90's
ReplyDelete