kids
in the 50's, 60's, 70's and early 80's probably shouldn't have survived
because...
Our baby cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint
which
was promptly chewed and licked.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, or latches on doors or
cabinets and it was fine to play with pans.
When we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets, just flip flops and
fluorescent
'clackers' on our wheels.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags -
riding
in the passenger seat was a treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle and it tasted
the
same.
We ate dripping sandwiches, bread and butter pudding and drank fizzy
pop
with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always
outside playing.
We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle or can and
no-one
actually died from this.
We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then went top
speed down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After
running
into stinging nettles a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were
back before it got dark. No one was able to reach us all day and no one
minded.
We did not have Play stations or X-Boxes, no video games at all. No 99
channels on TV, no videotape movies, no surround sound, no mobile
phones,
no personal computers, no Internet chat rooms. We had friends - we went
outside and found them.
We played elastics and street rounders, and sometimes that ball really
hurt.
We fell out of trees, got cut and broken bones and teeth, and there
were
no
lawsuits. They were accidents. We learnt not to do the same thing
again.
We had fights, punched each other hard and got black and blue we
learned
to
get over it.
We walked to friend's homes.
We also, believe it or not, WALKED to school, we didn't rely on mummy
or
daddy to drive us to school, which was just round the corner.
We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate live stuff and,
although we were told it would happen, we did not have very many eyes
out,
nor did the live stuff live inside us forever.
We rode bikes in packs of 7 and wore our coats by only the hood.
Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of.
They
actually sided with the law. Imagine that!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and 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're one of them. Congratulations!
Pass this on to others who have had the luck to grow up as real kids,
before lawyers and government regulated our lives, for our own good.
For those of you who aren't old enough, thought you might like to read
about us.
This my friends, is surprisingly frightening......and it might put a
smile
on your face:
The majority of students in universities today were born in
1983.......They
are called youth.
They have never heard of We are the World, We are the children, and the
Uptown Girl they know is by Westlife not Billy Joel.
They have never heard of Rick Astley, Bananarama, Nena or Belinda
Carlisle.
For them, there has always been only one Germany and two Vietnams.
AIDS has existed since they were born.
CD's have existed since they were born.
Michael Jackson has always been white.
To them John Travolta has always been round in shape and they can't
imagine
how this fat guy could be a God of dance.
They believe that Charlie's Angels and Mission Impossible are just new
films out last year.
They think that N-Trance "set you free" is an Old Skool song.
They can never imagine life before computers.
They've never heard of Pac-Man or Space Invaders or BBC computers that
have
Bat n Ball games.
They'll never have thought Jazz was the sexiest aftershave ever.
They'll never have pretended to be the A Team, Red Hand Gang or the
Famous
Five.
They'll never have applied to be on Jim'll Fix It or Why Don't You.
They can't believe a black and white television ever existed and don't
even
know how to switch on a TV without a remote control.
And they will never understand how we could leave the house without a
mobile phone.
Now let's check if we're getting old...
-
You understand what was written above and you smile.
-
You need to sleep more, usually until the afternoon, after a night
out.
-
Your friends are getting married.
-
You are always surprised to see small children playing comfortably
with
computers.
-
When you see teenagers with mobile phones, you shake your head.
-
You've developed more and more feelings about your work. It's now
your
life.
-
You spend less and less time talking on phone with your friends
daily.
-
You meet your friends from time to time, talking about the good old
days, repeating again and again all funny stories you have experienced
together.
-
Having read this mail, you are thinking of forwarding it to some
other
friends because you think they will like it too...
Yes, you're getting older !!!!