Born 80's or before? Read this...

[lima16_sg]

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids

in the 50's, 60's, 70's and early 80's probably shouldn't have survived,

because...

Our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint which was

promptly chewed and licked. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,

or latches on doors or cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.

When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip flops and fluorescent

'clackers' on our wheels. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat

belts or air bags. Riding in the passenger seat was a treat. We drank water

from the garden hose and not from a bottle - tasted the same.

We ate dripping sandwiches, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy pop

with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always

outside playing. We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or

can and no one actually died from this.

We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then went top speed

down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into

stinging nettles 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

before it got dark. No one was able to reach us all day and no one minded.

We did not have Playstations or XBoxes, no video games at all. No 99

channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no

personal computers, no Internet chat rooms.

We had friends - we went outside and found them. We played elastics and

street rounders, and sometimes that ball really hurt. We fell out of trees,

got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits. They were

accidents. We learnt not to do the same thing again.

We had fights, punched each other hard and got black and blue. We learned to

get over it. We walked to friend's homes. We made up games with sticks and

tennis balls and ate live stuff,and although we were told it would happen,

we did not have very many eyes out, nor did the live stuff live inside us

forever.

We rode bikes in packs of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood. Our actions

were our own. Consequences were expected. 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 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're one of them. Congratulations! Pass this on to others who have had

the luck to grow up as real kids, before lawyers and government regulated

our lives, for our own good. If you aren't old enough, thought you might

like to read about us.

[fangtooth]

well said.

[harris]

Bravo Bravo

[seamonkee]

Well said! I totally agreed....

[bwilly]

ok.. wat's my line now..?

who has it now..?