For those of us born in the 70's and earlier -

[ufcrusher]

According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's or even the early 80's, probably shouldn't have survived.

Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint.

We had no childproof lids or locks 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 pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors!

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in
it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

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 street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable!

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms.

We had friends! We went outside and found them.

We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.

We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there wereno 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 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 home 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.

Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade.

Horrors!

Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected.

The idea of parents bailing us out if we got in trouble in school or
broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the school or the law. Imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem
solvers, and inventors, ever.

We had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility --- and we learned how to deal with it.

[faither]

I remember all us jumping around the station wagon without seatbelts. Scary upon reflection (especially with chlidren of our own).

[OC]

Wow. That hits a bit too close to home...

[Merlin]

Originally posted by ufcrusher

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms.


Speak for yourself. I had me one of them Atari 2600's, followed up by a good old Commodore 64. Ahhh the days of having 664 blocks free on a disk.

[BrewMaster]

Originally posted by ufcrusher


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 failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade.


damn skippy! today people are freakin out in CA about the high school exit exam because some kids might not pass and won't graduate. i say, "SO WHAT?!" you fail, you try that grade again. and the little league thing is right on. nice find ufcrusher. too true...

[ufcrusher]

Originally posted by Merlin


Speak for yourself. I had me one of them Atari 2600's, followed up by a good old Commodore 64. Ahhh the days of having 664 blocks free on a disk.

I didnt make up the list. I personally had the TI computers...first two models of them. Plus, the Atari 2600 and 8200. Then I got an 80/86 computer and on and on and on and on. But in my life although we had the equipment I still spent more of my time outdoors and playing with my friends. If I wanted sweets I had to bike 4+ miles to get to the store. (When I was older my father started keeping some in his house, but my mother avoided them like the plague) I didnt think anything of walking or bike riding a few miles to get to my friends houses during the day.

I think I was in 5th grade or middle school when the Nintendo first hit Japan. I remember the first guy who got one had his brought to him from Japan. When they hit the US, I used my money that I earned shoveling snow to buy one. Once again, I was active to get to my inactivity.

When I was little. I preferred to go hiking through the woods behind my house, whittle sticks, and build forts than sit and watch tv/play video games. That stuff was reserved for night time when I couldnt go outside.

[gear02]

Yeah, but you know it's not the kids fault that worry about all this and then push the government or someone do pass laws about it. It's the parents' fault. It's not the kid that didn't make the Little League team crying so much as it's the parent who's threatning the officials with lawsuits and stuff.

It's not the high school kids who are afraid they're not passing the exit exam (actually most kids don't give a damn), it's the parents.

everything else about staying inside and playing video games is true though... :D

[Dirty Sanchez]

Yeah, I heard some schools are banning dodgeball!!! the hell?
Here's some other games these new age parents will want to ban or revise next:

"Tag. Referring to any child as it is demeaning and hurtful. Instead of the child hollering, "You're it!" we recommend, "You're special!"

Red Rover. Inappropriate labeling of children as animals. Also, the use of the word red evokes Communist undertones.

Sardines. Unfairly leaves one child alone at the end as the loser -- a term psychologists have deemed unacceptable.

Hide-and-seek. No child need hide or be sought. The modern child runs free in search of himself.

Baseball. Involves wrong-headed notions of stealing, errors and gruesome hit-and-run. Players should always be safe, never out.

Hopscotch. Sounds vaguely alcoholic, not to mention demeaning to our friends of Scottish ancestry.

Marbles. Winning others' marbles is overly capitalistic.

Marco Polo. Mocks the blind.

Capture the flag. Mimics war.

Kick the can. Unfair to the can.

If we let these PC twinkies have their way, we'll be left with:

Duck-duck-duck. Teacher spends the entire hour patting each child softly on the head.

Upsy down. The entire class takes turns fluffing the gym teacher's pillow before her nap.

Swedish baseball. Players are allowed free passage to first, second or third, where they receive a relaxing two-minute massage from opposing players.

Smear the mirror. Students take turns using whipped cream to smear parts of their reflection they don't like, e.g., the fat they have accrued from never doing a damn thing in gym class. "

[Tag]

Someone calling me :P


Originally posted by Dirty Sanchez
Yeah, I heard some schools are banning dodgeball!!! the hell?
Here's some other games these new age parents will want to ban or revise next:

"Tag. Referring to any child as it is demeaning and hurtful. Instead of the child hollering, "You're it!" we recommend, "You're special!"


:

[gear02]

btw my point was that these new age parents as Sanchez refers to are those who were born in the 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's

:D

[Tag]

Dude I think in your case > J*zz hit the monitor :bigmouth:


Originally posted by Yossarian
damn, i remember doing all that running around and stuff...then at about 12 i got my own computer and s*t hit the fan

[Nanotech9]

yeah man - i was always out riding my bicycle... sometimei even made my dog pull my bike, but hell he was big enough, and he loved to get out in the street - you had to be ready though, cause it was no unusual to see us hauling ass at nearly 20mph hehe (this made turning some corners a bit painfull)

we made our own go-cart - all we had was 2x4's and some big heavy wheelbarrow wheels - it took 4 people to push it up the hill.

I started stunting my bike at age 8 or 10 - i dont know HOW many times i fell and got hurt - riding horizontally was one of my specialties :)

dodgeball - HELL YEAH

[Peachhead]

Not just no seatbelts..
but (ahem) laying up in that space under the back window.

Sheeeeeez...

[oblongmelon]

ahhhh glory days..I remember owning roller skates that clipped on to your shoes with a key...*groan* I guess I'm officially old.

[ufcrusher]

Hell even Fisher Price used to make a version of those back in the day. They were blue with yellow wheels.

[Dirty Sanchez]

Originally posted by Nanotech9
dodgeball - HELL YEAH
Anyone remember and/or play Pin Dodgeball?
Now that was a kick@ss game!

[Ladogaboy]

Hmm, when/if I finally have kids, I think I might want a time machine... :dodgy:

[Dirty Sanchez]

How about ARMY dodgeball?

[Apex]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
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 failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade.

Horrors!

Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected.

The idea of parents bailing us out if we got in trouble in school or
broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the school or the law. Imagine that!


Man. One of the best posts ever. This is so true. Ever talk with teachers these days? It's amazing the abuse they go through from parents who refuse to take responsibility for their kids & blame the teachers for bad grades.

[attgig]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
We had friends! We went outside and found them.


HAD is the key word...
now we're making friends on G|A......not that there's anything wrong with that... :hmm: :P

[attgig]

Originally posted by Nanotech9
yeah man - i was always out riding my bicycle...

<snip>

I started stunting my bike at age 8 or 10 - i dont know HOW many times i fell and got hurt - riding horizontally was one of my specialties :)


I see why you like riding bikes now ;)

[RoniMan]

Originally posted by ufcrusher

1. Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.

2. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

3. We did not have no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, personal cell phones.

4. We had friends! We went outside and found them.

5. We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt.

6. Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.


1. did anyone ever hitchhike? i never did.

2. not true, four of my friends dies once...oh wait, i laced it with arsenic that time. but we had a good laugh afterwards.

3. we HAD 99 channels back then, it was just all snow.
we HAD video tapes, it was called BETA.
we HAD phone, it was made of styrofoam cups and a string.

4. or we had our mom talk to the neighbors and asked them to be our friends.

5. sometimes? you never played with my friends did you?

6. thanx for bringing up THAT wonderful memory...while you're at it, why don't you give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice all over it?!

----

all in all, great post!:D :P

[Showtime]

Not to mention the time me and my model friends had that gasoline fight while pumping gas. That could of ended badly.
:P

-jel:halo:

[welfareloser]

some of those points are good, some are stupid.

seriously, what the hell is wrong with seatbelts, childproof medicine bottles, helmets, and paint without lead?

i suppose the author never met a kid who died from any of the aforementioned, but thousands of lives are saved every year by EACH of those four safety measures.

does any of them really impede one's enjoyment of life?

the good points are ruined by the smugness.

[Nija]

Originally posted by welfareloser


seriously, what the hell is wrong with seatbelts, childproof medicine bottles, helmets, and paint without lead?

i suppose the author never met a kid who died from any of the aforementioned, but thousands of lives are saved every year by EACH of those four safety measures.


so.. how does one meet a kid that died from one of those things? :P

[Nija]

Originally posted by DarkFury

Visit a cemetary I'd guess... :shrug:

yur not really meeting them tho.. :shrug:

[ufcrusher]

Originally posted by welfareloser
some of those points are good, some are stupid.

seriously, what the hell is wrong with seatbelts, childproof medicine bottles, helmets, and paint without lead?

i suppose the author never met a kid who died from any of the aforementioned, but thousands of lives are saved every year by EACH of those four safety measures.

does any of them really impede one's enjoyment of life?

the good points are ruined by the smugness.

I guess his/her point was simply that we are much more governed then when we were kids and everything that we did is now considered to be harmful to us, yet we are all here. If these things were as bad as they claim we would all be dead.

[attgig]

Originally posted by the jello is jigglin
Not to mention the time me and my model friends had that gasoline fight while pumping gas. That could of ended badly.
:P


ORANGE MOCHA FRAPPUCHINO!

[welfareloser]

Originally posted by ufcrusher


I guess his/her point was simply that we are much more governed then when we were kids and everything that we did is now considered to be harmful to us, yet we are all here. If these things were as bad as they claim we would all be dead.

see, that's exactly MY point... he's too smug. EVERYTHING we did then is not now considered harmful. and we are not ALL here... some of us did die doing stupid *****. and nobody's claiming that those things are so bad that we'd ALL be dead if we did them.

always/never... blah blah... too smug. good points lost in bad delivery - waaay overblown.