To all those born in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s

[David924S]

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS
WHO WERE BORN IN THE
1940's, 50's, 60's, 70's
First, we survived being born to mothers
who smoked and/or drank while they carried
us and lived in houses made of asbestos.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg
products, loads of bacon and processed
meat, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested
for diabetes or cervical cancer.
Then after that trauma, our baby cots were
covered with bright coloured lead-based
paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles,
doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes,
we had no helmets or shoes, not to mention, the
risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we would ride in cars with no
seat belts or air bags.
We drank water from the garden hose and
NOT from a bottle.
Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no
pizza shops, McDonalds, KFC, Subway or
Nandos.
Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and
didn't open on the weekends, somehow we
didn't starve to death!
We shared one soft drink with four friends,
from one bottle and NO ONE actually died
from this.
We could collect old drink bottles and cash
them in at the corner store and buy Toffees,
Gobstoppers, Bubble Gum and some
bangers to blow up frogs with.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter
and drank soft drinks 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 old prams and then ride down the hill,
only to find out we forgot the brakes. We
built tree houses and dens and played in
river beds with matchbox cars.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo Wii,
X-boxes, no video games at all, no 999 channels
on SKY, no video/dvd films,
no mobile 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.
Only girls had pierced ears!
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt,
and the worms did not live in us forever..
You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot
Cross Buns at Easter time...
We were given air guns and catapults for our
10th birthdays,
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house
and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or
just yelled for them!
Mum didn't have to go to work to help dad
make ends meet!
RUGBY and CRICKET had tryouts and not
everyone made the team. Those who didn't had
to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine
that!! Getting into the team was based on
MERIT
Our teachers used to hit us with canes and gym
shoes and bully's always ruled the playground at
school.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law
was unheard of - They actually sided with the law!
Our parents didn't invent stupid names for their kids
like 'Kiora' and 'Blade' and 'Ridge' and 'Vanilla'
We had freedom, failure, success and
responsibility, and we learned
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And if 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 while you are at it, forward it to your kids so
they will know how brave their parents were.

PS -The big type is because your eyes
are not too good at your age anymore

[Andrew]

So very true

[944BLOKE]

[lindsayhbrown]

oh so true, there were no sell by dates on foodstuffs, and do you also remember the 6 week holiday lasting for ever, or so it seemed, its gone in no time now, or is that me just getting older ?

[brian2.5]

Brilliant - So true and I think we were better for it
(one of those from the 40's )

[Graham Waller]

I wish I didn't agree with this!!!

[LilMsPiggy]

I'm happy to agree...let sanity prevail!....