Growing Up pre-80's

[Dubh Aingeal]

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN 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 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, 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! 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 our lives for our own good.

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

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

[Homicidalheathen]

~Sigh~ I miss being a kid. Aside from the abuse part.

That is one thing I think has gotten better. Most people don't just spank now. And most don't let the spanking get out of control.

I loved playing all day in the sunshine. But speak for yourself.......I never ate worms!

[Hellion]

:devil Ahhh, those were the days" People were nicer,Bush was'nt in offce,Bring a kid was more fun,television was better,oh the memories!

[Head Wreck]

They took aspirin, ! ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

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.

(christ yes, nieghbour had a huge conifer tree with a birdhouse near the top, i used to climb it to top up the bird feeder nearby and one day i fell straight down scraping past all the branches whilst wearing short and teeshirts. the grazes were awfull, and a dose of orange stuff and i was back outside with dressing pads on the worst bits)

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!!

no little legue here but yes, you werent good enbough, you had to be better, simple as

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

fuck aye, makes me sick to see pearents siding with the absolute monsters that run riot here

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 one thing that didnt apply but i had to coment on.

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 put out very many eyes.

my Pearents are very anti gun, i bought all my kit at 18 for sporting reasons, and remain anti-firearm (at least for the UK as theres no need for everyday civies to have them) but i dont belive in a ban. right now HM govt is planning on replica guns completely. this means that i cannot buy another toy remington 870 shotgun (allready have one anyhow), but as i am over 15 years of age i can aply for a shotgun liscence and own as many of the real deal as i choose.

am i the only one that finds this worrying

[JaneDead]

see, but because of *some* of these things people WERE hurt, killed, etc. that is why things DID change and even laws made.

such as wearing seatbelts, finding out drinking/smoking while pg is harmful, lead paint on cribs - the more obviously harmful of the list.

on the other hand i agree kids are in too much playing video games and watching tv and not exercising. kids should be out playing. but unfortunately parents don't feel it is as safe just to let kids go around the neighborhood alone anymore. which is why many stay close to home or indoors more.

and drinking water from a garden hose is fine but it still does taste disgusting!

[GreggZero]

Over protective parents are ruining the natural order of things, a certain number of kids were meant to be hurt while falling off thier bikes. Now these kids will survive to be pain in the ass adults. All because thier parents made them wear a helmet. What ever happened to only the strong survive? The weak links have a way of bringing everyone else down to thier level, making society weaker as a whole.

[Steven]

said it before and I'll say it again.....

...they just dont make em like they used to. (Born in 66)

[Dubh Aingeal]

said it before and I'll say it again.....

...they just dont make em like they used to.  (Born in 66)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Completely agree

[kellygrrrrrl]

Just makes ya realize HOW MUCH has really changed....and I don't see it ever going back to this either...

[Hellion]

Just makes ya realize HOW MUCH has really changed....and I don't see it ever going back to this either...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:devil Sad is'nt it.

[Rayne]

I was born in '79 and things have changed so much since then.

... weird.

My oldest was born in 1999. My youngest in 2004. Things changed a lot even between them. ... Even weirder.

[phee]

I grew up in the '80s once.... it was great

[DarkVampire]

Born in 71. I hate the seventies. I like the 80's so many good memories, that's my generation.