hollandgirlOPSomewhere in Canada. B.C., British Columbia Canada4,464 posts
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 carried us.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs 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 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, bread and butter and drank soda pop 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 on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, 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 made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live in us forever.
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!
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!
hollandgirlOPSomewhere in Canada. B.C., British Columbia Canada4,464 posts
rusty_knight: I blame Superman.
When I was four years old I was convinced I could fly - I took off from the sofa and broke my arm.
The cast was cool.
My dad told me I could hit the school bully with it and it wouldn't hurt........... well, it wouldn't hurt me!
Damn, if it was nowadays I could sue my parents for not keeping an eye on me!
So true!
Yeah the good old days. I must say except for the new discoveries made in the medical field, there are many good things from those days, I would love to see again. Not so complicated and not as noicy, it seemed we had a lot more time.
Yes wish I could go back and live that way again...Sad to see children that do not know how to play outside anymore-they have no imagination...I remember all the forts I built growing up, would practically have to be drug in the house at night...I am glad both my girls were raised most of there lives on a farm and they knew how to find things to entertain themselves....I always thought they were so healthy from being outside all the time playing also..
hollandgirlOPSomewhere in Canada. B.C., British Columbia Canada4,464 posts
All the games we kids did playing in the streets. There was a season for everything. Marbles time, skipping rope, I can't even recall the names of it all. Someone else can?
hollandgirlOPSomewhere in Canada. B.C., British Columbia Canada4,464 posts
OMG I wss such a bad kid. A real rebel. Walking behind people wearing a hat. Flipping those hats of their heads and of course running taking my wooden shoes off. I never played with dolls did guy things more fun!
Can't remember all the names of different games I played as a child but do know my hometown had a population of about 3,000 and I knew everyone and every square inch of it...
hollandgirlOPSomewhere in Canada. B.C., British Columbia Canada4,464 posts
tina_olson: Can't remember all the names of different games I played as a child but do know my hometown had a population of about 3,000 and I knew everyone and every square inch of it...
Going to school; ohh yes we walked! 4 times a day, walking home for lunch. Rain or shine, cold or warm weather. School was 5 1/2 days a week from 9-4 6 weeks vacation. A few days for Easter and for Christmas and that was It!
Sounds like the best place for kids to grow up in, a small town.
hollandgirlOPSomewhere in Canada. B.C., British Columbia Canada4,464 posts
It seems to me that people in the old days had a lot more time. At my home we had a coal stove. (more cleaning) No refridgerator, so gravies and soups had such a layer of fat on it that you could skate on it. (it never spoilt. We used butter and lard. (I survived) No washing machine it was all done by hand. No dryer either so it was to the clothe line it went too.
This is so cool! You explained it all! Just like it was! I really never thought about it but my brother and I talked about it and told our children but we are unsure if they really believed us! hell we didn't have any of the electronics Kids have today and we went where we went period. Our parents never had to check on us and if we lived we lived! There were no cell phones we communicated in different ways and it seemed like we never missed a communication. Our parents were Guinea pigs to the drug company's so to speak and handled every bad chemical known to man. So how did we survive? That is the big question!!! I Just got back from the hospital where my father is laying in bed dying in his 70's with a rare disease. He never took care of himself, was quite the lady's man, " Mr diner club International", drank all the time but no one ever seen him drunk! Lol he was sneaky maybe some of the women knew but not his friends...worked hard had a very hard childhood had one of the roughest life's one could imagine. But how did they do it? A little luck Possibly??? He was a genius and I am watching him die!!! I can take a lot but this was just too much to handle! I pulled it off I think but having to make decisions about mortality and things one would rather NOT DISCUSS was very hard. I am trying to keep it together while trying to keep the appreciated hospital professionals doing their job. This was not what I needed to do! Maybe I was just his son and this was the first time I had to do this and maybe I was exhausted and rambling to the doctors too much, I really do not know!!! But I can tell the new generation it is not easy making sure they die peacefully and in comfort with very little pain Like it should be. As they cared for us we shall make sure they die with as little pain and as gracefully as we came in!!! It is not easy, it is life as it is death...
hollandgirlOPSomewhere in Canada. B.C., British Columbia Canada4,464 posts
Hello Gene, sorry to hear about your dad. It must be very difficult to watch him go.
I am 71 myself and consider myself much to young to die. My first plan is 30 more years, my mam died at 94 1/2 so I have to surpass her. After that I go into plan B I was thinking just bought a fantastic camera at the thrift store for $2.00. No one want a regular camera anymore it has to be digital. My family never owned a camera. We relyed on the street photographer.
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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 and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs 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 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, bread and butter and drank soda pop 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 on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, 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 made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live in us forever.
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!
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!