Were you born too late?

Dan FO

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To Those of You Born 1920 - 1983...
At the end of this email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno. If you don't read anything else, please read what he said.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED 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 were pregnant.
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-base paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick-up 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, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight. WHY? Because we were always outside playing...that's why!
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 them 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 and X-boxes. There were no video games, 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 and no 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 any 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.
 

Tekno_Cowboy

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Pretty neat :D
My family was poor, so even though I was born in the later half of the 80's, I still had it about the same.

Just one thing...

This looks suspiciously like the lyrics to a popular country song...
 

paxxus

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That sums up my childhood pretty accurately, except I didn't land in some bushes with our homemade go-cart - I got airborne and crashed into a lake. Was out playing all day, usually had to do my homework very late in the evening (or not at all) because of that.

When I think back on all the high speed spectacular bike crashes I've been involved in, I can't help smiling when I see a small kid on a bike doing maybe 3 Mph patched up like he's going into WW3.

Yeah, in the summer we kids sometimes got to ride in the back of my uncle's pick-up truck - WEEEEE!!
 

jtr1962

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Flushing, NY
When I think back on all the high speed spectacular bike crashes I've been involved in, I can't help smiling when I see a small kid on a bike doing maybe 3 Mph patched up like he's going into WW3.
My reaction when I see that is more one of pity for the poor kid and disgust for the society which is doing these kids a big disservice. Falling and getting bruised is part of growing up. It's how you learn to determine what is and isn't safe. Back when nobody wore bike helmets I didn't know of anyone getting seriously hurt from falling. And it doesn't end just with bike helmets. The totally safe, antiseptic environment today's parents seek to create for their kids is NOT a good thing. You'll never really grow until you learn about danger and controlling risk. In fact, I can make a good argument that you're never really alive until risk is part of your life. But you can't do that until you are actually thrown into a potentially hazardous situation. If you make a child wait until they are an adult before doing that then it's too late.
 

McGizmo

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Good reflection! I would add that dogs ran free and even in a song a ways back the question was posed: "If dogs run free, why can't we?". Well they don't any more and how about us?

I personally feel that I was born at just about the right time (1952). I would hope that most people feel the same regardless of when they were born but my suspicion is that this is not the case. Most unfortunate but then who dictates fortune, let alone defines it?
 

kelmo

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Not me, I was early. My Mom had me in a hospital elevator!

I remember TV being black and white and there were only 3 channels and when it broke you went to the supermarket to test the vacuum tubes!

Too many lawyers and not enough tough love.

Not getting picked made you practice harder!

Yes we are raising genertions of overly protected selfish kids...
 

PhantomPhoton

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NV
While I do remember some of these things fondly and I agree that there is to much protectionism in modern American culture; there are some pretty dumb statements in that passage as well. :rolleyes:
I do agree with the last phrase, whatever was thrown at us we did learn to deal with it all. Something I'm afraid is lacking in a lot of today's children. :ohgeez:
 

Burgess

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But, i can say . . . .


This is the Best of Times to be a Flashaholic !


:cool:

_
 

Dan FO

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There were no cars being made when I was born and that is the truth.
 

binky

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There were no cars being made when I was born and that is the truth.

Whoa -- is that really true? If so, that's so cool. I got a call last week from a guy who said "I'm 91 and I want to learn how to use a computer. I would have started earlier but I had to recover from a stroke. I'm ready to get to it now." He couldn't speak very well, I mean I could tell his muscles were letting him down some as he tried to get the words out, meanwhile his mind was obviously totally on, though he joked about his bad memory. Coolest guy I've ever heard from. I can't wait to meet him & get him going. What he must have lived through. What both of you must have lived through. Superb, terrible, wonderful, wierd, and even boring times and all from a lengthening perspective. I don't feel like the 70-2000 range was particularly anything. Maybe I was born too late ('64). Or maybe too early. Seems like things are getting interesting now too. Not good, certainly, but at least ...interesting.

I have kids and I literally have to kick them out of the house. No biking around alone or knocking on doors to meet new friends. And there's this icky new term: "play date". What the heck? Can't it just, you know, happen? Just get out there, stare at the frogs or something normal and see who walks up & joins you. Then go climb some trees or play kick the can. Sheesh!
 

Dan FO

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Whoa -- is that really true?
Find me a 1943 Ford or Chevy. :whistle:

There were no toys being made either, the family just huddled around an old wooden radio for news. I began shooting when I was about 5 years old and most guns were mail order, I don't remember any gun laws except for a hunting license. Played cops and robbers with sticks. :D Every boy carried a pocket knife to school.
 

xcel730

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Wow, it does bring back some childhood memories.

My family have one pretty small size tv ... the one, which you change channels by turning the knob. We had no cable, so we just watch basic tv and used those cheesy antennas where you see grainy pictures. Our VCRs was very high-tech since it came with a remote ... along with 10-ft long cable (no infrared).

I didn't have video games until I was about 10. It was an atari 2600 ... and I had to beg my dad to get it for me. He got me that along with pac man and space invaders.

Was playing with friends and neighbors all day ... running around the park, biking and play manhunt with a cheezy ever ready plastic flashlight.
 

Flying Turtle

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Apex, NC
Amen. I remember it all. I did have to be home for dinner after being gone all day. Oh the places my bicycle took me, with no helmet.

Geoff
 

xcel730

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Oh yeah ... I remember that too. No helmet when riding bike regulations. you crack your head, it's your fault, take it up to your parents.

We certainly had a lot more freedom back then.
 

Burgess

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Gee . . . .


As a kid, i would've found it

so very helpful

to have a water-bottle & carrier (cage) on my bicycle !



There were precious few places

where we could get a drink. :sigh:



And sometimes, those were simply shut off ! :(




Woulda' made my life much more pleasant.

:cool:

_
 

xcel730

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I used to drink from public unfiltered water fountain in the park ... the ones where the water don't come up too high and most kids press their lips right on the opening. It makes most of us cringe these days to hear this. Everything that I've done wrong, I blame for drinking contaminated water :grin2:
 

The_LED_Museum

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Federal Way WA. USA
I remember making "Polish cannons" out of steel pop cans, tape, and tennis balls.

You cut the top off the bottom can, cut both the tops & bottoms out of the others, tape three or four of the cans vertically, punch a small hole at the base of the lowermost can, squirt some Ronsonol lighter fluid in the hole, drop a tennis ball in from the topmost can, point it in the general direction you want the tennis ball to go, and bring a lighted cigerette lighter or match to the little hole at the bottom.

For added fun, you could also squirt some Ronsonol onto the tennis ball just before dropping it in. :thumbsup:

If all goes as planned, you'd hear a "WHOOMP!!!" sound as the tennis ball shoots out of this contraption.

Needless to say, I did not damage myself or other property; nor did I set an unwanted fire doing this. :twothumbs
 

RA40

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Remember my childhood well. Some of the new interventions work well while other are just ugh. It will be interesting to re-visit this thread in 10+ years to see how that youth views it. ;)
 
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