If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's -- looking back, it's hard to believe we have lived as long as we have...
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
Our baby cribs were covered with brightly colored lead-based paint. We didn't have childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention hitchhiking to town as a young kid!)
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors.
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 streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day.
No cell phones. Unthinkable. We played dodgeball and sometimes the ball would really hurt. We got cut and broke bones and broke 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.
We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda but we were never overweight...we were always outside playing. We shared one grape soda with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games, 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell or just walked in and talked to them.
Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out there, in the cold cruel world! How did we do it?
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment ... Some students weren't as smart as others so they were held back to repeat the same grade. Tests were not adjusted for any reason.
Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law, imagine that!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has 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're one of them!
Posted by Hawkeye (Member # 88) on :
We had team snowball fights. We played tackle football without pads. We played outdoor hockey even though we'd lost feeling in our hands and feet hours before from the cold, we played till it was so dark we could'nt see the puck anymore...
Posted by DaddySS (Member # 848) on :
Excellent - brings back memories and makes me laugh at myself for how I handle my own children today! Posted by SSteve_35th (Member # 1300) on :
Don't forget about walking uphill to school - both ways - in the snow - without shoes!! Posted by ss_rs_z (Member # 1888) on :
Ahhhhhhhh yes Z4C I do remember those days back in the 60's and 70's. PLaying all kinds of sports, riding bikes, playing war, just going on walks with friends. Being able to go to the drugstore and buy Baseball cards from Topps with the big stick of bubblegum in them. Snowball fights in the winter, skating, making treehouses. Oh my how you brought back the memories. Those were the days. Posted by 6T9 Z11 (Member # 1715) on :
I remeber walking home with my buddy back from homecoming football game in 1977 through downtown and my buddy and i found a dollar. we thought we hit the lotto...bought 2 cokes and walked home with a big grin on our face...he and i still talk about that to this day. Posted by 67&02 (Member # 1570) on :
Ah yes, good words. The only faux paux was throwing Rocks. If the rock was in a clump of dirt that accompanied an weed bomb that was ok, it was an accident.
Bows and arrows that had suction cups on the end that were quickly removed and sharpened to perfection using the best sandpaper of all - cement.
Chemistry sets that allowed you to explore all things biohazard.
It was a great training ground...
[ 27. April 2003, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: 67&02 ]
Posted by SSilver02 (Member # 967) on :
I remember the good old days also. My question is if we all came out okay and produced such great thinkers & came up with such great innovations, why is everything so f'ed up now? The thing I remember most was that I almost always had to answer for my actions. We got away with very little when I was young. I think with both parents working nowadays, youngsters have a lot less supervision and I know that they don't have the consequences that we had. I know there are a lot of good people out there still but it just seems like there is way too much sniveling and having to go out of ones way to avoid offending anyone. How did we get to be so darn sensitive? The funny thing is that people used to be way more polite and friendly in the old days. I'd vote for simpler times, more work to get what you want, and people using their turn signals. Hate to be without all the information we have at our fingertips now, though.
Posted by 35TH ED/ed (Member # 1709) on :
SSilver02.....I think I have one word for the change and that would be "Lawyers".They make people wonder if they will be sued for somethind as silly as "COffee being 2 hot" .
On a lighter note I remember going to Flordia and sleeping on the back shelf of dads Impala . Yes they were simpler then.
Posted by Leadfut (Member # 1375) on :
quote:Originally posted by SSteve_35th: Don't forget about walking uphill to school - both ways - in the snow - without shoes!!
And holding a hot baked potato that you had to eat for lunch.
Posted by SSteve_35th (Member # 1300) on :
quote: And holding a hot baked potato that you had to eat for lunch.
Hot? HOT?!?!?! You mean your potatoes were COOKED? We had to dig ours up, wipe them off, and eat them raw!!
(On the side of a hill in the snow, of course.) Posted by Mark IXZD 150 (Member # 235) on :
I grew up during the 70's & 80's in the suburbs of Chicago. I remember total bliss and comfort. No fear or worry at all!
So some want to know what changed things... Here's my list. Feel free to add to it.
1. The Liberal Left and their socialist agenda. 2. MTV 3. Bad parenting 4. The Media 5. Hollywood 6. Rap music 7. Terrorism 8. Political correctness 9. Lack of 'religion' in people 10. The Liberal Left and their socialist agenda.
Posted by 35TH ED/ed (Member # 1709) on :
quote:Originally posted by SSteve_35th:
quote: And holding a hot baked potato that you had to eat for lunch.
Hot? HOT?!?!?! You mean your potatoes were COOKED? We had to dig ours up, wipe them off, and eat them raw!!
(On the side of a hill in the snow, of course.)
And you grew up in Flordia.....Right Posted by 67&02 (Member # 1570) on :
quote:Originally posted by SSteve_35th:
quote: And holding a hot baked potato that you had to eat for lunch.
Hot? HOT?!?!?! You mean your potatoes were COOKED? We had to dig ours up, wipe them off, and eat them raw!!
(On the side of a hill in the snow, of course.)
Luxury!
We used to have to get up 1/2 hour before we went to bed...
We didn't even have a cup to drink with! We had to suck on a damp cloth! (10 points for the source of the obscure reference)
[ 01. May 2003, 11:38 PM: Message edited by: 67&02 ]
Posted by Fbodfather (Member # 1119) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mark IXZD 150: I grew up during the 70's & 80's in the suburbs of Chicago. I remember total bliss and comfort. No fear or worry at all!
So some want to know what changed things... Here's my list. Feel free to add to it.
1. The Liberal Left and their socialist agenda. 2. MTV 3. Bad parenting 4. The Media 5. Hollywood 6. Rap music 7. Terrorism 8. Political correctness 9. Lack of 'religion' in people 10. The Liberal Left and their socialist agenda.
Interesting list, Mark......
in all of this, I keep thinking of the "lack of standards." Perhaps we're all so intent on doing what we're doing with less time available that the 'standards.' have been dropped.
Manners have seemed to disappear. My favorite aunt had a saying: "Good Manners do not cost money! Use them!"
I notice the lack of standards a lot in airports and on jets. Did you ever see how people dress to travel these days? I guess I'm old enough (somewhere between late 40s and dead) to remember that people used to get dressed up (or at least were clean) to travel on planes or trains. Not today. Therefore, I make an effort to dress up (at least a tie and leather coat) when travelling....you are treated much better by airlines, hotels, and others around you.
I really try to look clerks in the eye at stores and gas stations and say "Thank you, and have a great day/night/whatever" -- and some of them are shocked that someone actually acknowledged them...I especially try to acknowledge all of our security people and cleaning crew here at the GM Building.....you'd be surprised at the difference this makes...and how much better your outlook is.......
Parenting: did you ever notice that you have to have a license to drive, hunt, fish, etc......but ANYONE can attempt to be a parent? (I say attempt, because a lot of people have children, but I don't know that I'd call them 'parents' based on how they act.........)
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