To
Those of Us
Born
1925
- 1955:
~~~~~~~~~
TO ALL THE
KIDS WHO
SURVIVED THE
1930s, '40s,
'and 50s, !!
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
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
the
worms did
not live in us
forever.
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 60
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.
If
YOU are
one of those
born
between 1925-1955,
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 ?
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