To All The Kids Who Survived The 1940s, 50s, 60, and 70s!!!

   First, we survived being born to mothers who 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 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 pickup truck 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 aid 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 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, Nintendos, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, 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, 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!!!

   When we did something we were not supposed to or got into trouble, we got spanked (by a hand, a hairbrush, or a belt) or even worse we got our legs "switched" with a branch from a special bush grown in the backyard and even had to go cut it ourselves before it was used on us. But we never thought of calling the police or Social Services to report our parents fo child abuse!!!

   These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!!!