Had to pass on this e-mail from my Dad.

SockMonkeySam · March 2011

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930s, '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered
with bright coloured lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets,
and, when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps, not helmets, on our heads.
As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster
seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.

Riding in the back of a pick- up truck 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, white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made
with real white sugar. And we weren't overweight.
WHY?

Because we were always outside playing...that's why!

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 OKAY.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them 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 Play Stations, Nintendo?s and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no 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 those accidents.

We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or
just a bare hand, and no one would call child services to report abuse
We ate worms, and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and
tennis balls, and -although we were told it would happen- we did not put out very many eyes.

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!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers,
problem solvers, and inventors ever.
The past 50 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

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

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?

tpandr08 · March 2011

love it!

shelley1002 · March 2011

So true!

SockMonkeySam · March 2011

I'd love to post this on the 1st tri board..

bluejetta · March 2011

I like it. I had a conversation with my mom like this the other day. I was telling her I had read about crib bumpers being unsafe (she wanted to make some for the cradle we'll us for the first couple months) and while she was kind to respect my choice she noted how all this safety stuff has arisen since even I was born.

While some of it is really great and important (bike helmets etc) some is ridiculous (over use of hand sanitizer) and I assured her our kids would play in dirt...

chanteltbarrett · March 2011

That's great!

BsMom2011 · March 2011

I love this!! My DH keeps telling my our kids will play outside! He was an outside kid, as was I partly, and he does NOT believe in video games. We have a Wii but barely even use it! I want my kids to be active and not be afraid of EVERY LITTLE THING!!!

mmbaby32 · March 2011

I agree! I think people get so wrapped up and worry too much about what to take and not to take ( like the petty things). Now I know there is certain things you want to stay away from, but think about our mother's and our grandmother's and what they consumed. For the most part, we are all okay and ticking away!