If you lived as a child, in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's, how did
you survive?
Looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we
have...
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a
special treat.
Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead- based paint.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets,
and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets.
We drank water from the garden hose, and not from a bottle. Horrors!
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps, and then
rode 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 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.
No cell phones. Unthinkable!
We played dodgeball, and sometimes the ball would really hurt.
We got cut, and broke bones, and broke teeth, and there were no law
suits from these accidents.
They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember
accidents?
We had fights, punched each other, and got black and blue, and
learned to get over it.
We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda, but we were
never overweight..... we were always outside playing. We shared one
grape soda with four friends, from one bottle, and no one died from
this.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games
at all; 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound,
personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms
....... we had friends.
We went outside and found them.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home, and we knocked on the
door, or rung the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves!
Out there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian. How did we do
it?
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and ate worms, and
although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many
eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.
Little League had tryouts; not everyone made the team. Those who
didn't, had to learn to deal with that big disappointment.....
Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade,
and were held back to repeat the same grade..... Horrors. Tests were
not adjusted for any reason.
Our actions were our own.
Consequences were expected.
No one to hide behind.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard
of. They actually sided with the law, imagine that!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and
problem-solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
how to deal with it all
