Born before 1970......

[venray]

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while
they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't
get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored
lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids 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 pick up 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 and real butter and drank soda pop with
sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE
PLAYING!

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 O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride
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 Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at
all, no
99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell
phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet 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 these accidents.

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 yelled for 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!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, 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 are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow
up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives
for our own good. And share it with the children who didn't have it as
good as we did.

 

[some1somewhere]

are those the reasons why you all are crazy?

 

[venray]

are those the reasons why you all are crazy?

Yes...and you would have it no other way.... 🙂

 

[some1somewhere]

Yes...and you would have it no other way.... 🙂

that is true. 😎

 

[isabeau]

wtg us..truer words i haven't seen..but i never ate mud pies with worms ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww lol..

 

[LeeAllure]

Haha, I never ate mud pies with or without worms, but I remember making them 🙂

That was pretty accurate. That whole playing outside all day long is so true.
We'd ride our bikes all over - from our town to the farm to take horseback riding lessons, to the community pool, to those baseball games our friends were
playing in, to the next town to hang out, or for a job, etc.. We were often
playing basketball at the closest court. We'd rollerskate everywhere and anywhere.

Thanks for the memories, Ray 🙂

Lee

 

[chicago]

Basically you're all a bunch of paint-chip eating, drugged-up, diseased, delusional, lunatic crack heads all banged up and dilapidated like hockey players from a lifetime of doing idiotic things like rolling down hills in barrels.

The only reason any of you guys managed to invent anything is because you're bordering insanity.

Sorry, I was smart as a child. I never tried to fly by jumping off my roof, I didn't eat dirt or play with BB guns or drink water from the toilet or the hose or hitch-hiked.

But I thank you all for taking so many risks and being the example for us kids as to what NOT to do.

(Someone's going to get pissed off from this post, I think. Ha.)

 

[isabeau]

no worries from me, ticklishgiggle.. i ain't got any children to pass my terrible traits to anyway..

 

[Dussicar]

Ahhhhh. That's the great thing about me.

Regardless of what generation I'd be born into, I know for a fact I'd be up shit creek.

Due namely because I have absolutely NO damn sense of self preservation whatsoever.

 

[Bugman]

Very nice venray,and so true.

 

[venray]

(Someone's going to get pissed off from this post, I think. Ha.)

Nah...we know you're young and dont know very much......... 😛oke3:

 

[chicago]

Actually...

I used to drink water out of the hose all the time.

Whatevs.

 

[venray]

(you DO know I was just teasing?)

 

[chicago]

(you DO know I was just teasing?)

Si.

 

[Mz Chaos]

Okay... I made mud pies but didn't eat worms.

We also weren't dragged to the doctors everytime we had a sniffle and when we forgot respect... the belt reminded us of it. We were even disciplined at school... and most of us weren't latch key kids but had a parent there when we got home. We also had chores to do that we didn't expect payment for (which was good cuz we wouldn't have gotten paid anyway) and did odd jobs for neighbors like mowing lawns or shoveling snow for our candy or movie money. We also called adults by Mr. and Mrs. and NEVER by their first names.

Ahhhh... those were the good ol' days!

 

[chicago]

Well, you can't blame a kid for the way they were raised.

My parents were never home when I got there, but that's life.

Times change.

 

[some1somewhere]

Basically you're all a bunch of paint-chip eating, drugged-up, diseased, delusional, lunatic crack heads all banged up and dilapidated like hockey players from a lifetime of doing idiotic things like rolling down hills in barrels.

The only reason any of you guys managed to invent anything is because you're bordering insanity.

Sorry, I was smart as a child. I never tried to fly by jumping off my roof, I didn't eat dirt or play with BB guns or drink water from the toilet or the hose or hitch-hiked.

But I thank you all for taking so many risks and being the example for us kids as to what NOT to do.

(Someone's going to get pissed off from this post, I think. Ha.)

And this is why they call her the biggest SAM of the TMF. Heh, gotta luv 'er.

 

[Strider]

So, is doing all these things the reason why that generations kids are all so messed up? Or is that just those of us who got stuck with hippies for parents?

 

[kis123]

Okay... I made mud pies but didn't eat worms.

We also weren't dragged to the doctors everytime we had a sniffle and when we forgot respect... the belt reminded us of it. We were even disciplined at school... and most of us weren't latch key kids but had a parent there when we got home. We also had chores to do that we didn't expect payment for (which was good cuz we wouldn't have gotten paid anyway) and did odd jobs for neighbors like mowing lawns or shoveling snow for our candy or movie money. We also called adults by Mr. and Mrs. and NEVER by their first names.

Ahhhh... those were the good ol' days!

I never made mud pies or played in dirt-I thought it was disgusting!

Unfortunately, the "good ol days" weren't as good to some as to others. I was the kid that took a book or my latest crochet project to the park. My father said it wasn't "normal" and to go out and play. He slowly and systematically took away my passion for reading in exchange for being like "normal" kids. It did teach me something-never to squash my kid's spirits just because I didn't understand or agree. I let them be themselves even if it looked strange-they both are strong and confident people today. I think it's the best gift I gave them was to allow them to find themselves and not for me to define them.

My parents weren't perfect (not by a long shot) but I learned to depend on me to get what I wanted or needed in life. Today's generation has a false sense of entitlement because their parents spoil and indulge them way too much. I used to tell my kids "no" so they knew what it meant and that society will say it to them more than it will ever say "yes."

I was teased and picked on in school and had few friends. Did I arm myself like Rambo and shoot the place up because of it?? NO!! I got into fights and lost more than I won but got the respect of my aggressors. Nowadays, if two people get into a fight it turns into some type of massive event complete with guns! Whatever happened to two people fighting and just moving on?

MzChaos, I'm with you on the respect thing. I still refer to my elders as Mr & Mrs and I make my children refer to adults the same. If they use a first name, they still have to use Mrs & Mr in front of it unless that adult permits them to do otherwise.

And the casual clothing thing basically makes my teeth grind! How can a kid go to a job interview in jeans or sweats? I think that completely disrespects the employer when someone shows up dressed like that. Come to work dressed for work and you'll be more productive. Come to work dressed casually and you'll take a casual approach to your work.

The list for this stuff would take days but there is a bottom line and we really can't completely blame this generation for all of it. Today's parents want their kids to like them. Parenting is NOT about giving kids what they want, it's about what they need. Kids aren't going to like you all of the time and you should'nt be worrying about it. I'm not my kids' buddy, I'm their mother and if they aren't hating me every once in awhile, it means I'm not doing my job!! If you give kids everything they want all of the time they build a false sense of entitlement that carries them into adulthood. When society whips on them long enough they realize you did them a horrible disservice and they'll really hate you then.

 

[Knox The Hatter]

Too many people in our media saturated society heed without question the nonsensical tripe that so-called experts and pundits put forth...along with the ravings of a bunch of Chicken Littles. Your children aren't allowed to be children anymore. It's a shame.

 

[steph]

But it's a beautiful thing, isn't it? 😛

And I LOVED playing Mary Poppins, you seriously missed out--there's nothing like hearing the sound of your own leg breaking when you're five! I never did hear back from that f'ing umbrella company! I mean, WTF?

XOXO

Basically you're all a bunch of paint-chip eating, drugged-up, diseased, delusional, lunatic crack heads all banged up and dilapidated like hockey players from a lifetime of doing idiotic things like rolling down hills in barrels.

QUOTE]

 

[Bugman]

I never made mud pies or played in dirt-I thought it was disgusting!

Unfortunately, the "good ol days" weren't as good to some as to others. I was the kid that took a book or my latest crochet project to the park. My father said it wasn't "normal" and to go out and play. He slowly and systematically took away my passion for reading in exchange for being like "normal" kids. It did teach me something-never to squash my kid's spirits just because I didn't understand or agree. I let them be themselves even if it looked strange-they both are strong and confident people today. I think it's the best gift I gave them was to allow them to find themselves and not for me to define them.

My parents weren't perfect (not by a long shot) but I learned to depend on me to get what I wanted or needed in life. Today's generation has a false sense of entitlement because their parents spoil and indulge them way too much. I used to tell my kids "no" so they knew what it meant and that society will say it to them more than it will ever say "yes."

I was teased and picked on in school and had few friends. Did I arm myself like Rambo and shoot the place up because of it?? NO!! I got into fights and lost more than I won but got the respect of my aggressors. Nowadays, if two people get into a fight it turns into some type of massive event complete with guns! Whatever happened to two people fighting and just moving on?

MzChaos, I'm with you on the respect thing. I still refer to my elders as Mr & Mrs and I make my children refer to adults the same. If they use a first name, they still have to use Mrs & Mr in front of it unless that adult permits them to do otherwise.

And the casual clothing thing basically makes my teeth grind! How can a kid go to a job interview in jeans or sweats? I think that completely disrespects the employer when someone shows up dressed like that. Come to work dressed for work and you'll be more productive. Come to work dressed casually and you'll take a casual approach to your work.

The list for this stuff would take days but there is a bottom line and we really can't completely blame this generation for all of it. Today's parents want their kids to like them. Parenting is NOT about giving kids what they want, it's about what they need. Kids aren't going to like you all of the time and you should'nt be worrying about it. I'm not my kids' buddy, I'm their mother and if they aren't hating me every once in awhile, it means I'm not doing my job!! If you give kids everything they want all of the time they build a false sense of entitlement that carries them into adulthood. When society whips on them long enough they realize you did them a horrible disservice and they'll really hate you then.

What a great post.I'm sorry your childhood was not good in some ways,but i think your kids were very lucky to have you as a parent.

 

[chicago]

I think I read something that said good parents breed shitty kids and teenagers, and shitty parents breed well-adjusted kids. Obviously not a fact, but something to think about...

I think if my mom thought of me more as her friend than her daughter, it'd be easier to talk to her and tell her about my life. I can't even bring up the weather with her because our entire relationship is built on fear and her authority over me. And thus, she knows nothing of my life or what I do.

Maybe if people knew that having a child makes you no more a mother than having a piano makes you a pianist, that being a mother isn't a "job" it's a blessing, maybe then, some people would get it...

 

[Capnmad]

I think I read something that said good parents breed shitty kids and teenagers, and shitty parents breed well-adjusted kids. Obviously not a fact, but something to think about...

True enough... You can't make broad, sweeping generalizations about this sort of thing. There are always exceptions.

But, that said, I think there is something to be said for adversity breeding resilience, and for having some negative qualities that the kids can rebel against... However counterintuitive that may seem on first glance.

It behooves a child to have something to rebell against in forging their own identity. Would one rather have that be a positive quality or a negative one?

By no means do I advocate being lousy parents to breed great kids, but attend closely to the predispositions of each, and the propensities for each to rebell (some may not -- they may not have a rebellious bone in their body -- and those one must cultivate especially carefully), and channel such inclinations as best you can toward worthier adversaries.

Anyway, that's what I plan to do, among other things: Find my children worthy adversaries to rebell against, and make them strong thinkers and doers in the process.

Egads... Leave it to me to run a fun thread of nostalgia into the ground! Sorry Venray! Hail to the pre-1970's generation, in any event -- without you, the post 1970's bunch couldn't very well be here, now could it? But methinks we have just as worthy adversaries available today, in far more seductive guises than lead paint! 😀

Gods, I'm just tired and rambling. Someone shoot me.

 

[AffectionateDan]

(Someone's going to get pissed off from this post, I think. Ha.)

Kids always say the cutest, dumbest stuff, don't they? No wonder the adults always pat them on the head and give them lollipops.

Thanks for the memories, Ray!

Too many people in our media saturated society heed without question the nonsensical tripe that so-called experts and pundits put forth...along with the ravings of a bunch of Chicken Littles. Your children aren't allowed to be children anymore. It's a shame.

Amen! Testify!

I think I read something that said good parents breed shitty kids and teenagers, and shitty parents breed well-adjusted kids. Obviously not a fact, but something to think about...

I think if my mom thought of me more as her friend than her daughter, it'd be easier to talk to her and tell her about my life. I can't even bring up the weather with her because our entire relationship is built on fear and her authority over me. And thus, she knows nothing of my life or what I do.

Maybe if people knew that having a child makes you no more a mother than having a piano makes you a pianist, that being a mother isn't a "job" it's a blessing, maybe then, some people would get it...

It's true, parenting is a high-wire balancing act that not everyone is cut out to perform. There oughta be a test you have to take before you're allowed to have children, to see if you're a fit parent or not. But no, everyone's capable of makin' a baby, and MORE than capable of screwing up that baby for life through varying combinations of neglect, abuse, bad examples, you name it. Gigs, your relationship with your mother sounds very similar to the one that I had with my dad as a younger lad... if you're under her thumb so much, how did you escape to NEST at all? I'd have thought if the spotlights on the guard towers didn't catch you, the dobermans would have! (only half-joking, there)