CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE

1940's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

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 tin, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cots 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 helmet s, 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 van - loose - was always great fun.

We drank water from the garden hosepipe 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 cakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drink 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 Foxtel, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no mobile phones, no text messaging, 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 played with worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out any 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!

Local teams 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!

Cheers Grandad

my childhood was like that even the loose ride in the back of my grandads van!!
(he was a landscape gardener so we got muddy as well)

Born in 1980 even I can see the difference now. I miss the days when you could go out and play all day and usually end up falling out of several trees while trying to build a very unstable tree house in the woods that ran along the back of the house.

I remember being kicked outside to play in the middle of winter with our cousins and told to play in the field and it didnt matter if we got a bit muddy(or very muddy in our case), or if we had a cold by the end of the day, because our immune systems got used to it. Now with kids being driven everywhere and cooped up indoors all the time, it is no wonder that kids are off school all the time, ill every couple of weeks.

Kids were kids and were to learn by taking risks and doing stupid things, you just don't see them do any of these things now, either they don't know how or are just too lazy, or parents are far too over protective and want thier kids wrapped up in bubble wrap with extra cotton wool just to be safe!

And just as the OP said, the kids of the 40's to 70's made better adults as a result, better workers and just more pleasent to be around.

shame it's all but gone.

Yes, that's how I remember my childhood (born in 1969 btw). Being outside all day, etc. etc. Boy, does your story bring back nice memories

Cheers,

Miranda

Wow, that was my childhood!.
I can remember cycling to Wimbledon common with my mate and being gone all day!!! As long as we were home in time for dinner no questions were asked. I could have only been about 9 years old at the time!!!

Its all very true and brings back lots of forgotten memories, but I am a bit guilty of wrapping my boys up a bit too tightly in that cotton wool

I'm alot better with the ' middle' two as they at least have each other but I was terrible at letting go of my now 6ft tall 15 yr old !! Hes still hating the fact that the 10 & 8 yr old are allowed out later than he was but I think we are all that bit stricter with our first are'nt we ??

I love them coming home all dirty with wrecked clothes ( as long as its not their 'best' clothes or I morph into the wicked witch!!) absolutely gasping for a drink with sweaty hair and rosy cheeks
And then best of all the dreaded words " come on boys in for a BATH!! "followed by wails of "Whyyyyyyyyy? and "what for we're not even dirty!!"
Why have they got an aversion to water?? perhaps because it washes all the fun they had away.......................or coz my boys are just smelly boys

Awww I feel all sentimental now. When they come home from school ripping each other to shreds I must remind myself what I just wrote!!