We were born to mothers who may have smoked,or drank when they were pregnant
They took aspirin,ate blue cheese dressing,ate tuna from the can,and weren't tested for diabetes
but we survived
Then after all that trauma,we were put to sleep on our tummies,in cribs painted with lead paint.
We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles,nor locks on doors.
When we rode our bikes we wore baseball caps--not helmets.
We rode in cars with no car seats ,no seat belts,no air bags,bald tires,and some times even no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pickup was a special treat
But we survived
We drank water from the garden hose(not from a sanitized bottle)
We shared a soda pop with two or three friends--no one got sick
We ate cup cakes,white bread,real butter,and bacon
We drank cool aid with real sugar--and we didn't gain weight!-Why?
Because we were always outside romping and playing,cowboys and indians,or jumping rope,or hide and seek
And we survived
We would go off and play all day,and as long as we were home before dark,no one worried.
We spent hours building go carts from scrap lumber,rode them down hills,only to find out that we forgot to add brakes.
But we survived
WE didn't have Play Stations,Nintendos or X Boxes,no video games,no ear phones,no TV,no cell phones,no computers,no internet and no chat rooms.
But we had lots of friends,and we went outside and found them.
WE fell out of trees,jumped off garage roofs got sprains and sometimes broken bones--and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We got spanked with belts,paddles,switches and even bare hands--but no one called child services to report abuse.
And we survived
We ate worms and mud pies,and the worms didn't (in spite of what we were told) live inside of us forever.
We were given bbguns on our 9th birthdays,and we didn't put out too many eyes ,when we played War.
But we survived
WE rode our bikes or walked to our friends house and either knocked on the door or just walked in and talked to them.
We had Little League tryouts,and not every boy made a team.Those who weren't selected had to learn to live with disappointment--Imagine that!!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.Our parents sided with the law.
But we survived
These generations produced some of the best problem solvers and inventors ever.
And the past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas
Our generations had freedom,success,and responsibility,and we dealt with it all.
If you are one of those born between 1920 and 1950--Congratulations!!!
You might want to share this with others who had the good fortune to be kids before the do gooders and the government regulated so much of our lives.
While you are at it,show it to your grand kids and great grand kids,so they will know how brave and how lucky were their forebears

WE survived!!!
A quote from Jay Leno
"With all the hurricanes,fires out of control,mud slides,flooding,tornadoes tearing up the country from one end to the other,and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,
are you sure this is a good time to take GOD out of the Pledge of Allegiance????"

We were born to mothers who may have smoked,or drank when they were pregnant
They took aspirin,ate blue cheese dressing,ate tuna from the can,and weren't tested for diabetes
but we survived
Then after all that trauma,we were put to sleep on our tummies,in cribs painted with lead paint.
We had no child proof lids on medicine bottles,nor locks on doors.
When we rode our bikes we wore baseball caps--not helmets.
We rode in cars with no car seats ,no seat belts,no air bags,bald tires,and some times even no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pickup was a special treat
But we survived
We drank water from the garden hose(not from a sanitized bottle)
We shared a soda pop with two or three friends--no one got sick
We ate cup cakes,white bread,real butter,and bacon
We drank cool aid with real sugar--and we didn't gain weight!-Why?
Because we were always outside romping and playing,cowboys and indians,or jumping rope,or hide and seek
And we survived
We would go off and play all day,and as long as we were home before dark,no one worried.
We spent hours building go carts from scrap lumber,rode them down hills,only to find out that we forgot to add brakes.
But we survived
WE didn't have Play Stations,Nintendos or X Boxes,no video games,no ear phones,no TV,no cell phones,no computers,no internet and no chat rooms.
But we had lots of friends,and we went outside and found them.
WE fell out of trees,jumped off garage roofs got sprains and sometimes broken bones--and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
We got spanked with belts,paddles,switches and even bare hands--but no one called child services to report abuse.
And we survived
We ate worms and mud pies,and the worms didn't (in spite of what we were told) live inside of us forever.
We were given bbguns on our 9th birthdays,and we didn't put out too many eyes ,when we played War.
But we survived
WE rode our bikes or walked to our friends house and either knocked on the door or just walked in and talked to them.
We had Little League tryouts,and not every boy made a team.Those who weren't selected had to learn to live with disappointment--Imagine that!!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.Our parents sided with the law.
But we survived
These generations produced some of the best problem solvers and inventors ever.
And the past 60 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas
Our generations had freedom,success,and responsibility,and we dealt with it all.
If you are one of those born between 1920 and 1950--Congratulations!!!
You might want to share this with others who had the good fortune to be kids before the do gooders and the government regulated so much of our lives.
While you are at it,show it to your grand kids and great grand kids,so they will know how brave and how lucky were their forebears
WE survived!!!
A quote from Jay Leno
"With all the hurricanes,fires out of control,mud slides,flooding,tornadoes tearing up the country from one end to the other,and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks,
are you sure this is a good time to take GOD out of the Pledge of Allegiance????"

As Archie Bunker would have said, "Those were the days!"

That was also a time when there were winners and losers, and as you said - "Those who lost learned to live with disappointment--Imagine that!!!"
The school swings had wood seats, and no one had their head cracked open.
Kids were safe playing in the street after dark, no pervert came and grabbed them.
You said the Pledge of Allegiance before school started, and on Armistice Day, you stood, in silence, and held your hand over your heart, for one minute.
WWII was lead by Generals, not politicians, and we WON!!!

Yes, BB, and PG, "Those were the days."
We were Americans and proud of it.

**************************
Do you really believe that survival" should be preferred over "prevention"? I did live through the 30s and forward but I certainly am glad that my mother cared about her own health, her pregnancies and her children. Evidently yours didn't or she wouldn't have turned out such poor progeny. God was entered into the Pledge during the Eisenhower administration in an attempt to separate the U.S. from communist idiologies. He wasn't in favor of it but felt it couldn't do any harm.

:

And wasn't that the basis for "Dr Mom" who always had a cough drop or a band aid and a bottle of merthiolate, a hot water bottle and a mustard plaster for a chest cold. I don't remember ever seeing a Dr when I was a kid but my mom tended the family with extreme empathy.
And what is the crack above about Badbobbies being a bad progeny? I thought his remarks were extremely pertinent and well thought out? Maybe you ought to go back and work on some of the basics. Just a review to see that you're staying current and courteous.