How did we ever make it? <br><br>According to today's regulators and bureaucrats, those of us who were kids in the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's or even the early 80's, probably shouldn't have survived.<br><br>Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. <br><br>Not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking. As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat. <br><br>We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors! We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we were never overweight because we were always outside playing.<br><br>We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this. <br><br>We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode 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.<br><br>We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.<br><br>No one was able to reach us all day. No cell phones. Unthinkable!<br><br>We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, personal computers, or Internet chat rooms. We had friends!<br><br>We went outside and found them.<br><br>We played dodge ball, and sometimes, the ball would really hurt. We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame but us. Remember accidents?<br><br>We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We made up games with sticks and tennis ***** and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.<br><br>We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rang the bell or just walked in and talked to them.<br><br>Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment.<br><br>Some students weren't as smart as others, so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Horrors! <br>Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own.<br><br>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.<br><br>Imagine that!<br><br>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.<br><br>And you're one of them! Congratulations.<br><br>

 

You forgot bottle rocket fights, and building ramps to see how far you could jump your bike. (only did that once) ;D<br><br>During the summer the only TV I watched was the Dukes of Hazzard, that was only if I could take a shower and eat really fast. The rest of the day was spent outside, nothing else could even compare. 8)<br><br>DB

 

Sure sounds familiar.
Also cannons...butane cannons...BOOM!
;D
I had a few bikes with bent forks/rims from the jumps.

 

Also, we used to shoot each other with BB-guns and wrist rockets. However, the streets were empty when Dragnet and Adam-12 came on. ;D ;D

 

Ok guys, knock it off, gettin' :'( :'( for the good old days. Remember those little wax bottles with the juice inside you could get for a penny at the neighborhood grocery store? Hey Mom, guess what? My teeth didn't rot off from all that candy. Heck, do you even remember the ol Mom and Pop grocery stores?<br><br>~Dave

 

You silly boys. I used to build the ramps and my buddy would jump em. ;D ;D ;D After about 3 bikes his dad ended that. But it was fun while it lasted.

 

How about a bottle of soda pop for a nickel, and two cents back for the empty bottle? Saturday matinee double features for a dime, and mom and dad just dropped you off and came back to pick you up later?

 

[quote author=GrandpasRam link=board=10;threadid=13466;start=0#126868 date=1050065508]
How about a bottle of soda pop for a nickel, and two cents back for the empty bottle? Saturday matinee double features for a dime, and mom and dad just dropped you off and came back to pick you up later?
[/quote]


How 'bout on those stinkin' hot summer days, you'd lift the lid to the soda machine and look down into the water at the tops of the soda (pop) cap lids. You'd find the one you want, then you'd plung your hand into that icy cold water, and fish the bottle along the little track until you got to it to the end, , then pull it up, your hand numb from the cold. Man, all that fun for a dime.

Anyone remember collecting bottles from people on the beach, then returning them to the nearest snack stand for a pretzel stick, or a few sticks of Bazooka gum? Bugging the ice man for spare chunk; McDonald's hamburger , fries (made from potatos right in front of you), and a chocolate milk shake all for forty-five cents; a round of miniature golf for a quarter?.....I cound go on and on..... : Geez 52 and I'm an old geezer.

 

i remember many of those things well...especially the bb gun wars ( that made u man aorund us ) lol but now they have $300 paintball guns...which is fun and still hurts but u dont see many 10 yr olds running around in a barn playing war with paint ball guns, digging out bails of hay to make foxholes.........boy i could go on and on on the subject ..thinking back, what a wonderful thing my childhood was.thanks 4 the post berner. and thanks mom and dad take care guys, scott

 

I was thinking the other day about how we used to ride the bikes up to the gas station, get a pack of baseball cards and actually eat the gum.

 

I remember riding my bike down to the corner gas station with a quarter and getting a gallon of gas for the go-cart and some candy for the ride/walk back

 

[quote author=Lary Ellis (Top) link=board=10;threadid=13466;start=0#127023 date=1050083646]<br>I remember riding my bike down to the corner gas station with a quarter and getting a gallon of gas for the go-cart and some candy for the ride/walk back <br>[/quote]<br><br>Dang, you mean they actually has gas during that age!!

 

I remember my dad and my uncle talking about throwing the butcher knife at each other in the kitchen. Cool.......

 

Hey DD4x4, what kind of knife is that again?!?

 

My nephew is 18 months old and getting into everything - like his Dad said, we never had cabinet locks, drawer holders, or outlet plugs when we were learning to survive growing up. All of us made it out of childhood in one piece but we all had to learn the hard way that when Mom or Dad said &quot;Don't do that!&quot; there was usually a good reason for it.<br><br>I reckon it is a sign of the times - people that shouldn't be having kids are too stupid to raise them right so our government must now attempt to legislate common sense for us. Heck, you can even cure childhood by giving them enough Ritalin. Our folks just kicked us outside until we had calmed down some (or gave us a reason to raise cain). Timeout - that was how long you were unconscious after you sassed your parents back then.<br><br>Must not be enough woodsheds to go around these days.<br><br>Of course, if our parents had known half the stuff we did (and survived) growing up they would have been gray long before their time. <br><br>Playing war in a field of hay bales with birdshot and heavy coats, diving into the quarry lake, riding inside the tractor rim - those were the carefree days. I reckon some of us were lucky to get this far.