For those who were born in the 50's, 60's and 70's, this may sound familiar: Firstly, we were born to parents who smoked and drank while they carried us. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products and lots of processed meat. After that trauma, we slept in baby cots covered in coloured lead based paints. As kids, we rode in cars with no seat belts, air bags, power steering or anti lock brakes. We drank water from a garden hose, NOT from a plastic bottle. There were no McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Chinese, Indian or Thai meals. No KFC or Subway. If you wanted takeaway food, it was fish and chips, all wrapped in newspaper! And it tasted great! Even though all the shops were shut by 6pm, half day closing on Wednesdays, and didn't open on weekends, we somehow didn't starve to death! We could collect old glass drinks bottles, and cash them in at the local shop, and buy gobstoppers, bubble gum and toffees. We ate loads of sweets, white bread, real butter and drank fizzy drinks with loads of sugar in them, but we weren't overweight because........we were always outside playing! We'd leave home straight after breakfast and play all day. Our parents had no idea where we were, but knew we'd be home for tea. We'd build go-carts from old prams and fly downhill on them, suddenly finding out we forgot about brakes. We had no PS3, Wii or X box. No Sky tv, no dvd's or cd's. We had no mobile phones, no PC's, laptops or notebooks, and there was no internet. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside to find them. We fell out of trees and got cuts, broken teeth and bones. Did our parents sue the landowners? NO! We learned to be more careful the next time! We ate mud and worms, and we didn't die! We were given air guns and catapults for our 10th birthday. The only time you could buy easter eggs and hot cross buns was at Easter. Shops didn't sell tins of Quality Street in September. Football, rugby and cricket teams had tryouts, and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to deal with disappointment. Can you imagine that?! Teachers used to hit us with the cane or a slipper. And if we broke the law, our parents sided with the law and wouldn't bail us out! We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility. And we learned to deal with ALL OF THEM! You my friends, are one of the lucky ones who grew up as kids before the government and lawyers regulated our lives "for our own good" Oh, you may wish to show this to your kids, so they can see how brave their parents were when kids were kids.