I don’t like to admit it, my husband is in serious denial of course, but with him having celebrated a birthday “milestone” – he calls it a “millstone” hahaha…we have to accept the fact that we are not “whippersnappers” anymore! Born in the 50’s, children of the 60’s, teens of the 70’s, young marrieds of the 80’s, survivors of the 90’s and parenting teens in the new millennium…yep…we were once “Baby Boomers” but now we’re looking forward to our retirement years.
I remember MY parents talking about the “good ole days” and my being bored to tears hearing how they played with a tire rim and a stick for fun; Ice cream sodas and cherry colas that cost less than a quarter; poodle skirts and bobby socks, all the fashion rage. Now I find myself reminiscing about my childhood to my kids, and I see their eyes roll and they zone out in the same respectful boredom.
A friend sent this to me the other day and I couldn’t help but smile. To those of you who are reluctantly heading into those middle aged years, enjoy! To their children and mine…go ahead and zone out for awhile, but one day you’ll be looking back and it will be YOUR kids tuning YOU out.
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, ate tuna from a can and did not get tested for diabetes.
We were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids, locks on doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we wore baseball caps not helmets on our heads.
As infants and children we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick-up truck on a warm day was 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, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-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 and in time for supper, our parents didn’t worry about us.
No one was able to reach us all day, and we were okay.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps of lumber and then ride them down the hills and forget we had no brakes. After running into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem…or we didn’t care because it was just as much fun to crash into the bushes!
We did not have Playstations, Nintendos, and X-Boxes. No iPhones, iPods, or computers. There were no video games, cable T.V., PVR’s, DVD’s, surround-sound, internet, Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
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 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, and 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 our bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell or just walked in to talk to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment.
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 sixty years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We have known freedom, failure, success and responsibility and we learned how to deal with it all.
If you are one of them, Congratulations! Consider yourself lucky to have grown up during those years before government regulated everything in our lives “for our own good”.
Tell your kids so they know how brave and lucky their parents were. Better yet…tell them to turn off their X-Boxes, computers, and iPods for a couple of hours and go out and toss a ball with them. Don’t be ashamed to tell them of the “good ‘ole days”, because they were some of the best years of your life!
Lynn Dove's Journey Thoughts 