How Did We Survive, When We Were Younger?

[GYMBRAT]

No matter what our kids and the new generation think about us,

WE ARE AWESOME !!!!

OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!!

To Those of Us Born

1930 - 1979

At the end of this email is a quote of the month by Jay Leno.

Very well stated, Mr. Leno.

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

1930's, 40's, 50's,

60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank w hile 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 colored lead-base 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 & 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 made with Lard, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank FLAV-OR- 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 DVD's,

no surround-sound or CD's,

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 these 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 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. What can kids today do besides push buttons?

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

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 so much of our lives for our own good (?).

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

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

~

The quote of the month is by

Jay Leno:

'With hurricanes, tornado's, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of H1N1 flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'
__________________

[guest]

we traded dumb for smart and smart for dumb......kinda back where we started.

[GYMBRAT]

basically huh lol

[vakker]

these things get set up in such a way that more people should be able to identify with them so more can pass it around.

i was born 1979, i do not identify with ANY of that bullshit. I had nintendo when I was 7.

[GYMBRAT]

there's your answer....I had nintendo when I was 7 lol

I had it as well but was much more into the outdoors! Also I don't think the post is spose to make ya mad!

[faller]

these things get set up in such a way that more people should be able to identify with them so more can pass it around.

i was born 1979, i do not identify with ANY of that bullshit. I had nintendo when I was 7.

Judgeing from most of your posts i'm guessing that the problem you have is clearly a lack of said quote below......


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.



Great post GB!! And soooo true.

[_Ragnar_]

I was born in '87 but i totally identify with the majority of this! We where poor, hell we didn't get cable until got a job and begged my parents to let me hook it up! I remember riding in the back of my dads truck on the way to the river in the summer time. We had two tree forts in the neighbor's yard and would have bow and arrow wars. When I look back at my childhood I defiantly don't remember the stuff we didn't have.

[japh]

I was dorn in 75 and identify with all of it. Never had a band aid in the house! Always had cuts and bruises everywhere. Picking scabs was a hobby of mine as a child. lol

[Dallas Hogan]

I was born in 76 and can relate to all of it as well, great post!

[PdH]

We did get some pretty dangerous shit when we were younger though. Here's what I remember (born in 65):

1. Lawn darts
2. Race tracks that gave you shocks when put the cars on
3. Motorized planes that you put fuel in and then flew around in a circle on fishing line
4. Creepy crawlers which you had to heat up quite hot. Not the best thing for a 6 year old.
5. Clackers. Two round solid glass balls on a string that you clacked together and yes they would sometimes shatter.
6. BB and pellet rifles that we had wars with
7. Tool sets that came in a wooden case and had cheap sharp edged tools. Hurt myself more than once.

Anybody else remember some of the dangerous shit we used to play with?

[RagingRandy]

I had a chemistry set where I would randomly mix thing to see how well they burned.

Street hockey, the cars were no issue. It was the frozen tennis ball to the face or nuts that you had to watch for.

Cap guns sometimes they flared more than they should have. Or simply use the powder from the rolls for other pyro enjoyment.

[ironwill]

Born in 70, we had 3 wheel trikes no helmets, rode family of 5 in a 3 seat truck, no seatbelts....Sweet jumps off of home made ramps we constructed at the bottom of a large hill....
playing with the bulls in the pen on the farms, shooting the boar hogs in the balls with pellet guns and running away fast....explored old haunted houses on abandoned farms, nails and glass all over...etc.....good times.....
No nintendo for me, little brother got one later when i moved away.....
We worked for fun....

[L3]

back when i was lil, when i wanted to play in my treehouse, i had to walk 6 miles uphill, barefoot, while avoing the herds of buffalo

dont even ask what i had to do to get home

[natenator]

Anybody else remember some of the dangerous shit we used to play with?

Girls.

Oh wait, that still applies.

:D

[L3]

aint that the truth

[Flexxx]

Lawndarts, god I am always amazed no one god killed playing with those as a kid. Nowadays a company would get sued for even trying to market something like that.

I remember throwing them up in the air as hard as I could, sometimes loosing sight of them, then hearing them land in the distance.

I also had hammer fights as a kid. Don't ask, I grew up in the country.

[PdH]

Now that I think of it, those friggen minibikes with the lawnmower engines and useless brakes were probably the most dangerous of all. Everyone who had one got hurt eventually. Helmets didn't seem to exist back then. :D

[cyto33]

i was spawned in 75
never play video games i went out doors and caught mice and snakes. tried to feed the mice to the snakes. i would catch leeches and frogs and make sling shots and tree forts hujnting and fishing and snowmobiling dirts bikes and feildcars. i had all kinds of fun and today you cant pull your kids away from the TV.

[L3]

for the love of god can u please change your avatar it makes me shiver

[natenator]

for the love of god can u please change your avatar it makes me shiver
x10

[cyto33]

LOL LOL
i'll change it what would you like.
let me know if you like this one.

[L3]

haha thank bro i do...unfortuantely theres a rule about no nudity in avatars :(

[cyto33]

i better change that then i missed that

[BenT]

I used to have to walk to school barefoot uphill in the snow, cross razor blade road, and wade through rubbing alcohol river.

[japh]

I loved my pellet gun. I would phone and invite my friends over to lay then wait on the roof and shoot them off their bikes when they rolled into my yard.

I made a lot of throwing stars and pipe bombs as well.

I armed myself to the teeth as a child. lol

[GYMBRAT]

for the love of god can u please change your avatar it makes me shiver

F***K I missed it!! :(

[cog]

Some of the people I see these days at the park...their kids are unbelievably sheltered,some it seems not having even developed basic motor skills required for old fashioned every day play activities.They don't seem to play very many pick up games of anything....

[faller]

6. BB and pellet rifles that we had wars with

LMAO!! Ya i remember doing that till one guy once showed up with a 22, seriously, true story. Parents put a stop to that right away...

I remember going grouse hunting by myself with a 22 when i was 10/11 years old. It was normal to tell my mom that i was going hunting, didn't matter what time of year either.

Born in 58 just in case anyone was wandering....

[Mrs.Meat]

lol... oh the good old days - I too am a 70's baby :)

My daughter wants a mini laptop and a cell phone already lol :) she is only 7 hehe!

this thread is funny, great post!

[slick rick]

geezers thread, lol. good post GB.. 1970 for me, I too can relate.

[turboturist]

:friday

Thats awesome, man does that bring back memories.

Having bb gun wars and running out of bb so we used horse feed grain, it hurt worse than the bb's.

Our feeders on the barn were around the outside and in the winter we would slide of the roof and land on the horses back. They would lose it thinking an animal jumped on them. We never lasted long and there were some broken bones from being bucked off but man was it fun.

Being asked to take the truck over to the next place when we were barely tall enough to run the gas/brake and see over the dash at the same time. lol.

And some of my fav memories was when both mom and dad were not around we would leave a note on the table saying we took the horses and are camping in the mountains, did not know when we would be back. Took nothing but a bucket for water and some sleeping stuff and snacks. We would eat wild onions and strawberries, snare rabbits to eat as well. It was wicked. I attached a pic of the grass huts we would build to sleep in. I look at the pic and cant believe we were that young doing that shit.

And we would ALWAYS get a serious ass whoppin when we got home from the many trips. And the reason we did it is because we knew the answer would be no if we asked. lol. I am sure my mom had some sleepless nights.

[ironwill]

LMAO!! Ya i remember doing that till one guy once showed up with a 22, seriously, true story. Parents put a stop to that right away...

I remember going grouse hunting by myself with a 22 when i was 10/11 years old. It was normal to tell my mom that i was going hunting, didn't matter what time of year either.

Born in 58 just in case anyone was wandering....
Yeah, we lived out in the bush growing up......Riding mountain national park Manitoba......shot my first deer when i was 11, on my own....bear the next yr, elk/moose when i was 14....My dream was to be a park ranger growing up......Dunno what happened, but didnt end up even being close!!! lol
My brother and i would head off into the bush for a couple days on our horses, and come back by evening when we were supposed to.....That was our timeclock...I wonder if my parents hated me now, tried to get rid of my bad lil ass???:mad::(....lolol, nowadays theyd be charged with something im sure, but honestly, thats just the way it was around that part of the world!!!

[vakker]

Judgeing from most of your posts i'm guessing that the problem you have is clearly a lack of said quote below......




Great post GB!! And soooo true.

Trust me. In 1985, when I was 6, social services would still get a call if I was beaten with an instrument. You all seem to delude yourself into remembering the childhood you want, the 'golden days' are a part of every generations past, not matter how good or bad they really were. Memories rewrite history.

[PdH]

Trust me. In 1985, when I was 6, social services would still get a call if I was beaten with an instrument. You all seem to delude yourself into remembering the childhood you want, the 'golden days' are a part of every generations past, not matter how good or bad they really were. Memories rewrite history.

Bro, this is meant to be a fun thread. Why is it pissing you off?

[cog]

I was born in 56.Cars was were so cavernous inside that you could go to the far corner to avoid getting a whack from the old man.

[vakker]

Bro, this is meant to be a fun thread. Why is it pissing you off?

I never understand the rational of posting spam/chain letters in other media to garner conversation and that same conversation becomes pointless based on the material it comes from.

I'm not angry or pissed.

[_Ragnar_]

He found the letter funny. What other rational does he need. What I don't get is why you piss and moan about it.

[vakker]

Really? please point out, in the OP, a single letter or word, that is not a copy and paste from the chain mail.

[_Ragnar_]

who said it wasn't a copy and paste chain letter. Hell I got that email a few years ago. Doesn't make it not funny.

[turboturist]

I never understand the rational of posting spam/chain letters in other media to garner conversation and that same conversation becomes pointless based on the material it comes from.

I'm not angry or pissed.

If its pointless then why post in it other than to be an ass?

[faller]

What i don't get is how he ever managed to get 1 rep power... PdH, you repping this kid?? Lol


Trust me. In 1985, when I was 6, .


Lol, in 1985 i was 27.... You really should lighten up and you'll live to a ripe old age like me and than You can delude yourself into remembering the childhood of the "golden days" along with the rest of us.

[CC79]

Totaly awesome post GYMBRAT,!!
I agree that life was less complicated back then.......Makes you wanna go run after an ice cream truck .......run around collect random bug and snakes to make as pets and then end the day with a game of manhunt .......... :)

[Ritch]

.

I remember throwing them up in the air as hard as I could, sometimes loosing sight of them, then hearing them land in the distance.

.

Awesome thread! My dad and I were shooting arrows at some targets and he let me shoot an arrow straight up in the air. Now that`s dangerous!

But the pussyfication of society is only going to get worse. I was reading there`s a guy who wants a law to pass so that eventually even people who drive cars must wear helmets. I knew this would come up some day. I hope this guy dosen`t have kids. Image how wrapped up and monitored they must be by mother hen...

But for sure playing with caps was so much fun. I`ll pile them up and smash them with rocks. My dad showed me how to make darts out of broomstick, a nail and some bird feathers.

My dad laughs at todays generation of overprotective parents. He`s nearly 70 and climbs trees on windy days going very high with a friggin chainsaw to trim them.

[Ritch]

I get a lot of green for calling out ironwill over and over.

Then how come your rep power is still at a measly 1? :laugh

[faller]

I don't see vakker's post?? Was it deleted? Not that i care one way or another, lol :)

[vakker]

I don't see vakker's post?? Was it deleted? Not that i care one way or another, lol :)


ironwill can't handle it, so he tries to hide it.

its all good with me.

[natenator]

ironwill can't handle it, so he tries to hide it.

its all good with me.
curious how HE would do that?

[MuSuLPhReAk]

I deleted that post as I was about to delete all of them since it turned to a personal attack thus disrespecting the OP. Something came up as I started and was away until now.
I don't catch everything but when I do I try to clean it up. Reported stuff gets dealt with much faster.

[clicker666]

But for sure playing with caps was so much fun. I`ll pile them up and smash them with rocks.

Pshaw! I used to smash .22 cal rounds with a hammer lol! I can't believe none of us ever got shot, man we were stupid.

[69challenger]

Roman candle fights.........pipe bombs......jumping ramps with our 10-speed bikes, oh yeah, we were allowed to play TAG at school:)

[gingerbreadman]

Lawndarts, god I am always amazed no one god killed playing with those as a kid. Nowadays a company would get sued for even trying to market something like that.

I remember throwing them up in the air as hard as I could, sometimes loosing sight of them, then hearing them land in the distance.
.

I used to throw the lawn darts overhand at the old 70's siding on Dad's garage from as far away as I could get and they would lodge in the side of the house. Dad never did figure it out, but after about 20 holes in the siding I kind figured out on my own I was being a little shithead so I stopped. LOL

Born '72

Loved video games

But did play outside morning till night. Often Mom had no idea where I was. That would be 10 yrs old & younger.....

[turboturist]

Pshaw! I used to smash .22 cal rounds with a hammer lol! I can't believe none of us ever got shot, man we were stupid.

lol, or throwing a box of rounds into a camp fire and watching them go off at night, then coming out from behind the trees and there was always a couple stragglers at the end that would scare the shit out of us. God damn were we stupid!!!

[riccosuabe]

this is so true,kids of today are pussies!! i was born in 79 and when i was a kid all paint was lead based paint,so your cot was basically coverered in lead!the one thing that annoys me is this whole kids have rights shit,hell when i was a kid if i talked smack or got into trouble,police was the last thing i was worried about!!my mom and dad would wup my ass!!!

[hommes]

excellent posts from all you guys.

[faller]

the one thing that annoys me is this whole kids have rights shit,hell when i was a kid if i talked smack or got into trouble,police was the last thing i was worried about!!my mom and dad would wup my ass!!!

No shit eh! If i was a being a little prick outside the home and a neighbour gave me a smack upside the head and i went and told my parents, i'd get 2 smacks upside the head for my effort...

"Rights" come with responsibility such as takeing responsibilty for your actions, i don't see that happening anymore. We had rule's that we had to live by or there were consequences. Sure we had a lot of freedom, but we never had any doubt where the line was..

[riccosuabe]

No shit eh! If i was a being a little prick outside the home and a neighbour gave me a smack upside the head and i went and told my parents, i'd get 2 smacks upside the head for my effort...

"Rights" come with responsibility such as takeing responsibilty for your actions, i don't see that happening anymore. We had rule's that we had to live by or there were consequences. Sure we had a lot of freedom, but we never had any doubt where the line was..

i also remember if an old person told you off,you apologised.kids of today go around beating them up!!and ive noticed kids of today are to scared to take a whoopin,back when i was a kid a fight was you and one other person toe to toe,nowadays the youth will just pull a knife or a gun straight away:wtf:wtf:wtf

[clicker666]

lol, or throwing a box of rounds into a camp fire and watching them go off at night, then coming out from behind the trees and there was always a couple stragglers at the end that would scare the shit out of us. God damn were we stupid!!!

Cans in the fire anyone?

[Spyder122]

Born in 83, we always took turns hosting hockey games in our back yards. (From the country so no streets. Had to ensure the grass was short enough for the ball to roll), Now kids these days take turns hosting hockey games on the Xbox's.

The stupid thing we used to do was have pellet gun wars. No eye protection. The only rule was shoot below the waist. Looking back on it, I'm glad none of us got hit in the eye.

[GYMBRAT]

born is 72, played outside from morn till night, folks had to fight me to come in the house. Raced moto-x, freestyle skied, bmx raced....hell anything to do with the outdoors and adrenaline I did!

.....and the crazy things I did would take hrs n hrs to share haha