Well done for surviving!!!!!?

Question

In the 1930s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, many children were born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried them and nobody worried about it. They took aspirin, ate cheese dressings and didn't test for diabetes. There were no child-proof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. When children rode on bikes, there were no helmets and often no brakes. In the cars there were no seat belts or air bags. Water was often drunk from a garden hose or a public tap - certainly not from a water bottle! Ginger - lemonade - was drunk from a bottle passed from child to child. Children ate sweets whenever they could but were not overweight because they were active - outside playing. In fact, during school holiday, they often were away from home from morning till it got dark. They built bogies - go-carts - out of scrap wood and old pram wheels and rode them downhill with no brakes and when it snowed they slid down hills on tea trays thus coming to terms with the law of gravity. There were no Playstations, Nintendos, Xboxes, no video games, no 99 channels on cable, no video or DVD movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet … but children had friends with whom they played outside. They fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth but there were no lawsuits for these accidents. Games were invented with sticks and tennis balls, old tin cans and the like. Children walked to school without supervision or children wardens to see them across the street. They could go to a friend's house and knock on the door or even just walk in. When it came to organised games like football, not everyone got picked to play, but they just had to deal with that. And when they got into trouble at school or whatever, parents sided with the authorities. That generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever because they had freedom, failure and success. They took responsibility for themselves and they learned how to deal with it

Sorry just found this and I thought it was brilliant!

bit of a change from how it is today!!

Answer 1

2 points

Answer 2

Oh yes and it was all so thrilling. Please write the book. I love to read books that make me laugh out loud or ooh and aw. Just talked with the kids last week about the all the equipment they have to entertain the newborn babies. My goodness they move them from station to station and after 5 minutes decide the baby is tired in being in that position/place. Before my time but I know my grandmother left an infant or two under a shade tree at the end of row of crops while she worked the fields. There were not many fat kids when I was a young 'un we made our own entertainment. Had tree houses for Tarzan, played army crawling on our bellies through the woods, rode bikes to the landfill and pilfered the trash. Stole a watermelon ocasionally. Climbed trees. Only one in four broke a bone or had stitches each summer.

Answer 3

This is so, so true. As a child from early 60's I could play outside without the worries we have today over our kids. Eating sweets was rare as money would not allow it and neither did my mum! But you are right about the obesity of kids today, we were skinny runts 'cos we were always outside. Playstation and X-boxes were not around to keep us occupied.
We would get a hiding though if we ruined our clothes by falling over or falling out of a tree! lmao.
Thanks for the memories it has brought back to me. Apart from getting a small, part-time job today, this has made my day.

Answer 4

I was born in the late 60's and I agree with everything here! Somehow, we all survived! When I as at school, there were hardly any fat kids - honestly about one or two in the whole school! You didn't see many muffin tops lol! I sometimes tell youngsters at work that we only had three chanels when I was a kid and the BBC ended at midnight with the national anthem being played - honestly , half of them think I am lying!

I had a fun childhood - we had problems but I look back with some fabulous and funny memories! There is nothing like going down memory lane with someone who as born around the same age as you!

Answer 5

It wasn't so politically correct in those days. God, this is going to sound terrible but

We used to sit in the front seat on my mums lap or in the foot well without wearing seat belts.

We used to get given a large glass of sherry ( which was the highlight of the night) on Christmas Eve to make us sleep. I used to be up until early o'clock even with the sherry.

We used to have a puff on my Dads cigar at Christmas. One puff and we thought it was great.

We didn't use to use suntan cream. We got slapped in Nivea and sent tout in the sun and burnt all over and then put in a hot bath to bring it out.

We used to cross a bridge across a main road on the outside. I still look at that bridge today and cringe at the thought that I could of slipped and I would of killed myself.

To teach us to swim. My dad took us to the local lido. Swam to the deep end with us on his back one at a time and then he would swim down and leave us on the surface. I ran round the lido screaming but he still done it to me.

I ate a whole packet of throat lozenges prescribed by the doctor for my mum and I couldn't speak as I had numbed my tongue. I also made my sisters raspberry milk shakes out of raspberry flavoured laxatives prescribed by the doctor.

I had a great childhood. I'm 38 now and I'm still here with no permanent damage. They were good times.

Answer 6

yeah the worlds gone mad, i am glad i am not a kid growing up today, far too much cotton wool, I allow my daughter to take "risks" (she's only 2 1/2) so not dangerous ones (obviously) but all the same.. I want her to have a sense of adventure &freedom and not be scared of her own shadow, I pity the younger generation their freedom is so curtailed now..

Answer 7

yes i agree with everything you,ve written down there the only thing you have left out is there was no such thing as peadophiles and children were safer slightly they were still about but refered to as dirty old bastards but it seems that as soon as they were given the name peadophile they were in the news every other week could giving them a name make them more prevelant ? where did they come from all ofd a sudden

Answer 8

i waz born in the 80z but did u no cookers never had ovenproof glass
over the front of em so children who touched them got nasty burns
but back in those days children and even ppl had 2 walk miles every where

Answer 9

You're right, it's brilliant! And it's funny how things change because when kids (11-14) read this - I've used it in a class - they just think we are old when in fact we were really free and happy! :-))

Answer 10

Then the American dream came to the UK.
And it all collapsed!

Long live the Pedos, geeks and under class, that we all support!
Money first, screw everyone you can!

On a realistic note!
Copy the above and send to everyone you know