Time Have Changed

[martymas]

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while

> they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate high fat dressing and tuna from

> a can. We were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with

> bright colored lead-based paints.

>

> When we rode our bikes we had no helmets.

>

> We did not fear we would be kidnapped when we were 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 plastic bottle.

>

> We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one

> actually got sick or died.

>

> We ate cupcakes with icing, white bread and lots of real butter and drank

> koolade 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 a go-cart out of any old wheels and scraps

> of wood and then ride down the nearest hill.

>

> We did not have television, Play-stations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video

> games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no

> surround-sound, CD's or I-pods, no cell phones!, no personal computers and

> no Internet. We made our own entertainment using our imagination. And we

> used our imagination to envision what was happening in our favorite

> programs on the radio.

>

> We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no

> lawsuits from these accidents.

>

> We were given BB guns or a .22 rifle for our 10th birthdays and we did not

> put out any eyes or kill anybody like our mother said we would.

>

> We played hockey in the middle of the street with sticks, tin cans and

> clamp-on roller skates and nobody got hit by a car.

>

> We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and yelled for him to come out

> or knocked on the door, rang the bell, or just walked in.

>

> Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't

> had to learn to deal with disappointment with no interference from

> outraged parents. 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 seen an explosion of

> innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and

> responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all!

>

> We were OK.

>

> If YOU, are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!

[Falcon1986]

So true!

I grew up between that era and the new "iPod" era, but I'm glad I got a bit of the ol' stuff! Definitely enjoyed the times my dad allowed me to step on the gas as we cruised down desolate island roads when I was only 12. Learned to build kites and even play around with electrical equipment. Before I even knew about portable games I would be shooting marbles with primary school friends outside the principal's office and run for our lives whenever she came around. I even played in cemeteries both during the day and at night (especially liked the night-time; friends and I would scare the crap out of passers by).

Good times...

[martymas]

me to i remember our neibors used to say

he is a good boy but naughty

marty

[Falcon1986]

I think you also missed the part about disciplining: "spare the rod, spoil the child".

Hey, I turned out okay...

[JDoors]

Ahh, the "good ol' " days.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility anyway? You got hurt, it was YOUR fault. Imagine that! You have a potentially dangerous toy or activity, YOU WERE TAUGHT TO BE CAREFUL. Just imagine!

[marko_tomas13]

Ahh, the "good ol' " days.

Whatever happened to personal responsibility anyway? You got hurt, it was YOUR fault. Imagine that! You have a potentially dangerous toy or activity, YOU WERE TAUGHT TO BE CAREFUL. Just imagine!

Honestly i'm not very old and I remember growing up with hardly any TV watching, and beign outside all day without my parents calling me on a cell phone every 10 minutes to make sure I was "okay" like what happens nowadays with some kids.

I remember having a great time and even getting hurt sometimes but that always resulted in a learning experience rather than a lawsuit, accidents were accidents and not a matter for the courts to get involved in.

These days kids live in bubbles and are plopped down in front of "big comfy couch" or whatever passes for cartoons nowadays (I don't EVER see the roadrunner or tom & jerry on TV anymore)

/rant

"These days kids..."; I never thought i'd be saying that haha

Thanks for posting this, it really remided me of the way I grew up and the way my little cousins are growing up now. There is a magnitude of difference.

[JDoors]

Well, I kinda take some of that back, since I don't know anyone personally who's quick to blame others for their kids foibles. You made me think about my friend's kids, who've had their share of mischief, and who've always taken (or been given) responsibility for their actions. Guess it still happens in some families.