Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Perspective

This was shared with me recently and I thought it was so good, I want to share it with you. Enjoy.

TO ALL 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 their 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 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 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. Mom and Dad 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!


Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

2 comments:

  1. I would like to point out that this does not apply only to those who grew up in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Other than the lead paint and smoking mom, I had a childhood much the same as the one described here. And I know that your children did too Chrissie, since I was there with them nearly every day.

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  2. Ok Connor, so I as wasn't as good about the car seat deal as your Mom was- and Lord knows you all had a few dingdongs at my house, and had to get stitches, and stayed gone for hours with things like hatchets and matches, and scooted down hills way to fast, and rode four-wheelers all over the NW side of town------dang, That 50's childhood does apply to you guys!!! xoxox chrissie

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