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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 tin, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cots 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 van - loose - was always exciting and great fun.

We drank water from the garden hose or tap and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from

one bottle or can and NO ONE actually died from this.



We ate cakes, white bread and real butter and drank cordial 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, No Pay TV, No cable, No DVD movies or surround sound.

It's crazy! We even had No mobile phones, No text messaging, 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 played with worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were

told it would happen, we didn't poke out anyone's eye.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the

bell, or just yelled for them!

Local teams 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 your eyes shut

holding a pair of scissors, doesn't it?!

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!


Yup, those were the good days. I still would rather be outside most of the time. :-6

I just took my mile walk, all around this neighborhood. It is a nice sunny day, not too hot and not one kid outside. We would have been on bikes, skates, homemade skateboards and moving around chasing each other!

Yep.

It's the 70s. I know it was supposed to be a sucky decade but I remember it being peacefui and fun and easygoing. Things were happening true, but compared to the 80s or even now things seemed so much better. Is that true or am I wearing rose colored glasses again?

RedGlitter;940443 wrote: It's the 70s. I know it was supposed to be a sucky decade but I remember it being peacefui and fun and easygoing. Things were happening true, but compared to the 80s or even now things seemed so much better. Is that true or am I wearing rose colored glasses again?


noooooooooooooo! it is so true terri! your right!

Our grandchildern live in a neighborhood where the kids play outside much of the day. It's a very refreshing thing to see and hear. The parents have a watchful eye on them and there is an occasional tiff between parents over what little johnny did but all in all it works very well. There is hope!

jones jones;940215 wrote:

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with your eyes shut

holding a pair of scissors, doesn't it?!


But if you do, please hold the pointed part of the scissors downwards to ensure that you don't injure yourself or others

Remember how on Independence Day all the neighbors would be lighting firecrackers on the sidewalk and your parents would give you those "sparkler" things on a stick and the sparkles would fall off and burn your hand?

Those were cool parents! :wah:

you just described my childhood in your original post Jj, i didn't have all those things and played outside all the time, in the dirt and with the animals on the farm, and loved every minute of it! :-6

jones jones;940215 wrote:

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!




chonsigirl;940219 wrote: Yup, those were the good days. I still would rather be outside most of the time. :-6


Perhaps an even trade of firefighters for engineers?...

The upside would be the discovering of sophisticated computer technology incorporated into robots enabling these robots to perform heroic duties to society in the event of fires...

Obviously the downside would probably be evaporation upon going to the beach...

And we could go anywhere without worrying about being abducted...today I believe so many parents keep their kids inside because of all the horror stories we hear on an almost daily basis.

Yeah, the 70's rocked, and yes, play outside all day....those were the good ol' days.

RedGlitter;940443 wrote: It's the 70s. I know it was supposed to be a sucky decade but I remember it being peacefui and fun and easygoing. Things were happening true, but compared to the 80s or even now things seemed so much better. Is that true or am I wearing rose colored glasses again?


I remember we had trouble with one peculiar man but one lad's parents explained he had shell shock and we were to make allowances.

Apart from that we played in the hay ricks ('til the farmer caught us) and floated sticks down the stream ('til the miller got mad at us for damaging the paddles).

RedGlitter;940520 wrote: Remember how on Independence Day all the neighbors would be lighting firecrackers on the sidewalk and your parents would give you those "sparkler" things on a stick and the sparkles would fall off and burn your hand?

Those were cool parents! :wah:


Do you remember the jumping jacks? Never knew if they were called that 'cos they jumped or because everyone else did when you threw them round their feet

Didn't like it when the bigger kids threw bangers at us though

Bryn Mawr;941196 wrote: Do you remember the jumping jacks? Never knew if they were called that 'cos they jumped or because everyone else did when you threw them round their feet

Didn't like it when the bigger kids threw bangers at us though


My brother threw a banger when we were little and he was sent inside for the rest of the night...well, about 5 minutes.

We used to leave the house early in the morning on the hols & weekends.

Great adventures building forts,we even took small axes with us,we would built a fire & cook toast,no butter needed just eat the toast.

We would catch yabbies & then throw them back into the water.

Swim in the creek,catch tadpoles.

We would get home about 5pm exhausted but happy.

Little did we know our parents used to come check on us every couple of hours.

This was a bit earlier than the 80's but it was still being a kid & doing what kids should do.:-6

That was awesome! and yes, we survived!

now whats happened to kids today eh?

spoiled wrotten! I want this, I want that!

mrsK;941220 wrote: We used to leave the house early in the morning on the hols & weekends.

Great adventures building forts,we even took small axes with us,we would built a fire & cook toast,no butter needed just eat the toast.

We would catch yabbies & then throw them back into the water.

Swim in the creek,catch tadpoles.

We would get home about 5pm exhausted but happy.

Little did we know our parents used to come check on us every couple of hours.

This was a bit earlier than the 80's but it was still being a kid & doing what kids should do.:-6


I used to go up into the hills and play in the quarry (when they weren't working) or at the waterfall - I was devastated when we moved and the countryside didn't start just round the corner.

To take the skate key, and tighten them up, and go up and down the street with your siblings and friends.

My brothers used to build a tree house every summer. As innocent girls, our duty was to find out what they were doing up there. Sneak around, spy out the place, place a watch then shimmy up the tree and find a bunch of old comic books and binoculars.

Then get back down fast, start jumping rope, and singing "la-de-dah...."

Bryn Mawr;941196 wrote: Do you remember the jumping jacks? Never knew if they were called that 'cos they jumped or because everyone else did when you threw them round their feet

Didn't like it when the bigger kids threw bangers at us though


Now kids play war with Roman Candles to the point of their eyes being burnt out of their sockets...