O/T TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's,

[Digger]

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE

1930's 40's, 50's, 60's !!


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,


We 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

[GaryL]

Good one Digger and it sure is the way it happened. However the last statement will not hold true too those's born durning the late sixty's and up .... "And YOU are one of them" and the sad fact they will never know what they missed and would be all most impossible to live like that in todays messy world ....

[Farmer]

That is well written, if my kids could only get a taste of growing up in the 60's and 70'. No internet, satellitte TV, or color TV for that matter, Red Skelten, Coke a Cola in the small greenish bottle 5 cents.

Things are not appreciated as much today as they were even 30 years ago. I show my kids a Weaver 22 rifle scope I have owned since the age of 12 or 13. Cost was about $25. Had to have my Mom order it from the Simpsons catalogue (the people that remember Simpsons are as dated as I ) my kids say that was cheap, until they learned how I earned the money to buy it. On my old single speed bike was a burlap bag. Anytime I rode any where my eyes were looking for beer or pop bottles. Yep got a whole 2 cents apiece for them after I washed them. ( you could not return dirty ones then )

Made me appreciate things alittle more cause back then we did with a whole lot less.

[buckeye]

Brings back some fond memories. In the summer I would leave the house at around 8:30am and not come home until 5:00pm when Dad came home and dinner was served. My Mom never knew where I was or what I was doing with my friends. And it wasn't because she didn't care or worry I think she knew it was part of growing up and playing ball or catching frogs was a whole lot more fun then whatever was going on around the house. Her or Dad would ask what I did that particular day and I would give them a quick run down. The sad fact is now a days if something ever happened to a kid and they found out you haven't kept tabs on him or her every 15 minutes they want to put you in jail for child endangerment or neglect. I mean my god, you actually would let your 12 year old child go fishing by himself down by the local creek?
Thank goodness my parents neglected me . I did have a wonderfull childhood and I can thank my parents for teaching me right from wrong and having the trust to let me go "exploring" as we used to call it.

[BOB VANDRISH]

Doug,ain't it the truth!
That is exactly the way it was,and a heck of a lot of good memories too!
When you look at all the younger kids today,this should be sent to all of them as a wake up call!!
Bob.

[maddog]

Nice one Digger! It hits the nail right on the head.

Bill (born 1938)

[mdcrossbow]

DIGGER EXCELENT POST !

Buckeye, did we have the same parents LOL
Good post.
I had to tell my sons to stay out of the creeks because the mexicans would touse their beer bottles in on the rocks.

[grizzled47]

Spot on Digger!
It was just the same back home in England. All of our clan were born in the years you mentioned, and there were 14 of us!!!! I was the youngest born in 1946. None of us had any run-in's with the Law, and we were taught respect!! The old village "Bobbie" (Policeman) would give you a clip behind the ear if you got smart, and if you complained to your parents about it, you would often get another clip from them!!
We got into mischief, but there was a line we didn't go over. We were taught to look up to our elders, and show them respect. Giving up one's seat on a train or bus to an elderly person, or a mother with a child etc was automatic!!. We were poor, but Mum brought us up without any serious problems. Dad worked hard all is life to feed us all, and we all got a good education. It wasn't easy, but I would sure like to see some of the old values back today! It won't happen of course, but I have made sure that my own Children know about those days, and understand a little about them. They have their own lives to live, but I think they do benefit from knowing how it once was!!
Thanks for the reminders Digger.....great post!
Grizzled.

[arbalest]

Can I get a AMEN???

mike lydon

[GaryL]

Can I get a AMEN???

mike lydon

AMEN

[Golden Eagle]

That does hit home.

[frisky]

Digger .......... That brings back some good memories

Farmer .......... I remember those 5 cent green bottles quite well

1941 vintage

[navaman]

can't wait for my daughter (17 yrs old) to get home so i can have her read it

[Farmer]

Things were a lot simpler just 30 short years ago. If my dad was still alive and he heard how some of the kids spoke to adults or sassed back, he would flip!!!! He would also give them an instant message that would need no computer.. POW

[Brampton Mike]

Born in 51 and still have the odd craving for worm filled mud pies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Playing outsid etill the street lights came on...who needed a watch or heck a cell phone....opps no cell phones in the 50s and we survived without them...look at all these kids nowadys....I think they were born with cell phones attached to their ears!!!!!!!!!! As Archie Bunker says..............THOSE WERE THE DAYSSSSSSSSS! Brampton Mike