How Did We Ever Survive?

[paddbear0000]

This was in one of our local papers yesterday. I saved it as a reminder when my husband and I have a child. Ah, the good old days! Items in bold, I contributed…


How Did We Ever Survive?

Bill Duffield, Times Editor
Kettering-Oakwood Times, Dayton, Ohio

I received this in an e-mail. I’ve never thought of it before, but after reading this, I’m surprised I made it to 49!:

To all the kids who survived the 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s (and the early 80’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 and 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 (or station wagon) 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 just fine.

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 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound, 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 live in us forever.

We were given BB guns (and Jarts) for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we didn’t 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!

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If you are part of this group, 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, share this with 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?

Also:
No one ever died from playing on metal swing sets with exposed chains, or while hanging upside down on the monkey bars that were on black top surfaces! The swing sets even tipped over once in a while when we tried to swing over the top. And we’re still around. Amazing!

We were spanked and whipped with hands, belts, rulers and brushes, and we survived with no psychological defects or trauma and with no interference by the law! In fact, I think we’re better behaved because of it.

You actually had to be creative when playing with your Barbies, GI Joes, and each other. We didn’t have all of these toys that were completely interactive with 100 parts that cost $50 a piece!

You could play with plastic guns without the cops getting involved.

Children’s books weren’t banned.

[Razman]

I can remember doing a lot of the things listed  and came out OK.  Let your kids go out and be kids.  A few cuts or scratches are no big deal.

[flip]

Nice post,PB. I fondly remember all of those.

[Sluff]

I can relate. I'm 47

[mikey07840]

Me too, I'm 42.

[paddbear0000]

I'm 30 and all of those things applied to me. Barely, but they did. And we did it all!

[flip]

You guys are making me feel old, I'm 59.

[Ohio Buckeye]

Yes, I remember those days.
Wish it was more like that again.

[boxman55]

Bring them back the kids need it only way to save them...Boxman 53

[kellyt]

My son-in-law is sort-of ridiculous when it comes to "safety" with their 18-month-old.  Here's a funny story...

They were eating over at our house a few months back.  My husband gave the baby (about 1-year-old at this time) a tortilla chip.  She was taking small bites but apparently got a little piece stuck in her throat.  I quickly gave Kaitlyn (the baby) a drink of my tea.  I drink sweetened tea, sometimes with sugar and sometimes with Splenda.  Anyway, the baby was drinking my tea and my son-in-law looked at his wife (my step-daughter) and said "Honey, there's sugar in that".  Huh?  If your child is possibly choking, does it really matter that she's drinking something with sugar?  I hope he backs off a little as she gets older.  He's going to have "preachers daughter" syndrome if he's not carefull.  She'll be 2-years-old with an eating disorder.

I'm all for moderation of sugar and all those bad things, but pa-leeze!!!

[flip]

My grandmothers used lots of sugar, cooked meals with lard, and smoked. They lived to be 95 and 103 but life was simple then and they had little stress or pressure.

[okarol]

My grandmothers used lots of sugar, cooked meals with lard, and smoked. They lived to be 95 and 103 but life was simple then and they had little stress or pressure.

Gee, too bad, they may have lived to 115 if they hadn't abused their bodies. HA! J/K.
My grandparents were the same. They ran a meat market for 35 years, ate sugar and used lard, didn't smoke but they shared a beer on 4th of July! They lived into their 90's.

[Sluff]

You guys are making me feel old, I'm 59.

You are.     Remember when 30 seemed Old?

[flip]

Actually, I do but I have learned to adjust my thinking. Now, 80 seems old.