A little something for us "older" members to think about.

['97ventureowner]

A friend sent me this and it made me laugh and think about the current state of society.

Those
Born
1930-1979

TO ALL THE
KIDS WHO
SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

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 & 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 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 OK.

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 150 channels on cable, no video
movies or DVD's,
no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones,
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 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 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!

These generations have 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!

If 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 so much of our lives
for our own good.

While
you are at it, forward it to 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?!

[Damien]

Old, but good. Recollection shows that this whole screwed up kid phenomenon didn't take till the late 90's and...well, now.

I did all that, save the video games, though it was just a phase, till I was 18.

[YogsVR4]

Hooray for us old farts (Though 41 isn't that old.... yet)

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by YogsVR4

Hooray for us old farts (Though 41 isn't that old.... yet)

Especially when I look at others I went to school with who look 10 -15 years older

[03cavPA]

Originally Posted by '97ventureowner

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,

Well, the lead based paint explains a few things in my case, anyway.

And the number of times I came home with blood streaming down the side of my head from falling off the bike on gravel? Oh, my.



We survived. Had fun, too.

[Mr3GTP]

Born in '64, and I approve of this thread!

In the '70s, when we couldn't find fun, we made it. Good times, really.

A child of the '70s could adapt to today's amenities easily, but today's kids would be lost in the '70s. They'd have to actually get out and do stuff (God forbid).

[xeroinfinity]

Originally Posted by '97ventureowner

Especially when I look at others I went to school with who look 10 -15 years older

I dont remember eating any lead paint.. but the risks we took back then, hard to believe we're still here in one piece.

You would think thier would have been some large population growth(of tax payers) over these last 10-15 years.

Remember safty first !

[03cavPA]

Originally Posted by xeroinfinity

I dont remember eating any lead paint.. but the risks we took back then, hard to believe we're still here in one piece.

Actually, it wasn't the lead based paint.

Must have been all that, umm, Hendrix and Iron Butterfly and Jefferson Airplane. Yeah, it was the, uhh, music......... yeah, that's it, and the, uhhh, ... incense !!. Yeah, NOW I remember ......... I think.

['97ventureowner]

Originally Posted by Mr3GTP

Born in '64, and I approve of this thread!

In the '70s, when we couldn't find fun, we made it. Good times, really.

A child of the '70s could adapt to today's amenities easily, but today's kids would be lost in the '70s. They'd have to actually get out and do stuff (God forbid).

So true! I'm going through that right now. Take away the cell phones, video games, and computers and most of the kids today would go out of their minds . At least we knew how to make our own fun and keep ourselves occupied.

[Mr3GTP]

Originally Posted by '97ventureowner

So true! I'm going through that right now. Take away the cell phones, video games, and computers and most of the kids today would go out of their minds . At least we knew how to make our own fun and keep ourselves occupied.

Good times.


Neighbors hung out, we had big cookouts & picnics. Piled in several cars & went to the lake, pool, or Drive-in theater (my town had four).

Us kids were always gathering & playing games, and we always found things to do. Catching "lightning bugs" at night, camping in the backyard, playing "war" and flashlight tag.

Jumping makeshift ramps on our Schwinns, building forts, etc. Great time to be a kid, really.

[03cavPA]

I remember my first skateboard. We made it out of a board with the front and back halves of a clamp-on roller skate attached to it. It actually worked pretty well, for what it was.

[Mr3GTP]

Originally Posted by 03cavPA

I remember my first skateboard. We made it out of a board with the front and back halves of a clamp-on roller skate attached to it. It actually worked pretty well, for what it was.

Good deal!

I once made a crude hand truck out of my skateboard; I used crown molding, nailed to one side of a board, and drilled a hole near the end. The skateboard would slide in between the molding, and a bolt protruding through the hole kept it from sliding out. I made a handle from some scrap 2x4 and a broom handle.

I could carry stuff on it, or ride it like a half-assed scooter of sorts.


Imagination was key when you had to make your own fun...