Were you born before 1985?
And those of you who were born
after 1985, maybe you should take heed.
Maybe you could learn something by reading the following article.
According to today's regulators, bureaucrats, and politicians
those of us who were kids in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's,
70's or even the early 80's, probably shouldn't have survived.
Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based
paint.
We had no child-proof lids or locks on medicine bottles,
doors, or cabinets, or cigarette lighters, and when we rode our
bikes, we had no helmets; not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking
along the side of the road.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air
bags, and full metal dashboards without any padding. Car
steering wheels did not collapse in a major accident, and the
brakes were not ABS.
Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was
always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar
in it, but we were never overweight because we were always
outside playing.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one
bottle, and no one actually died from this.
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 street lights came on. No one was able to
reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable!
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video
games at all, no 99 channels on cable TV, video tape movies,
surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or
Internet chat rooms.
We had friends! We went outside and found them.
We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.
We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and
there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were
accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents?
We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and
learned to get over it. No anger management classes!
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and had BB
guns, although we were told it would happen, we did not put
out anyone’s eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the
door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them.
We ate meats, cheese, and drank milk with NO expiration date on the label, and no calorie information or fat grams listed- just the ingredients! If it smelled bad we threw it out.
A "special diet" meant that you stopped
eating and stuffing your face.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team.
Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment and
failure.
Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade
and were held back to repeat the same grade, but we still had
self-esteem.
Tests were not adjusted for any reason. The "bell-curve"
in school did not exist.
Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. It was
YOUR fault!
The idea of parents bailing us out if we got in trouble in school
or
broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the school
or the law. Imagine that!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers,
problem solvers, and inventors, ever.
We had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility --- and we
learned how to deal with it.
And you're one of them!
Congratulations. You survived and made it on your own.
Please pass this on to others who were blessed to grow up as
"kids" before lawyers and the government regulated our
lives "for our own good" !!!