growin up ( us older folks)

[yamahonkawazuki]

and no i dont care who actually wrote it. so no need to correct me 




Those Born 1920-1979

READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH BY JAY LENO. IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED

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 while 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-based paints.
   
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants &  children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up 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, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, but we weren' t overweight because,

WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

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 O.K.

We would spend hours building our go -carts out of scraps and then ride 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 Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, 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 or 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 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.
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?!

[ben2go]

I wish it was still that way. 

[Jughead]

Yeap Me too.You Know even though I was 5-6 Years old when I first saw an Atari We still played outside.My toys Growing up was a Steel 55 Gallon Barrel that Me,My Brother and Cousins rolled up the Hill,Got in and Rolled down to the Other side of the Gravel Road and Hit the Bank on the other side.


You know I saw a Little sign in the Bathroom at a House where I work that reads
"Mom you know I love you but I Hate your Guts for Washing my Face with Spit." 

[yamahonkawazuki]

lawn darts FTW. btw jug i got the hillary pic finished ( will add captions later. but hillary photochopped onto jack nicholsons joker  from batman)

[ben2go]

Video games came about in my early teens,but we couldn't afford them.No one that went to school with me had them.We had bicycles and footballs.Occasionally someone would have a softball and bat.We spent most of our days playin cops and robbers with wooden or plastic guns.Climbing trees and fallin out of them was our favorite sport.

[Teek]

That looks like it was based on the Bucky Covington song "Different World".

Song file is here with lyrics;
http://www.hit-country-music-lyrics.com/Bucky-Covington-A-Different-World-Lyrics.html


We were born to mothers who smoked and drank
Our cribs were covered in lead-based paint
No childproof lids
No seatbelts in cars
Rode bikes with no helmets
and still here we are
Still here we are

We got daddy's belt when we misbehaved
Had three TV channels you got up to change
No video games and no satellite
All we had were friends and they were outside
Playing outside

It was a different life
When we were boys and girls
Not just a different time
It was a different world

School always started the same everyday
the pledge of allegiance, then someone would pray
not every kid made the team when they tried
We got disappointed but that was alright

We turned out alright

It was a different life
When we were boys and girls
Not just a different time
It was a different world

No bottled water
We'd drink from a garden hose
And every Sunday,
All the stores were closed.

It was a different life
When we were boys and girls
Not just a different time
It was a different world

[yamahonkawazuki]

indeed nice find

[ohgood]

i grew up in the late 70's and remember walking (more riding my bike) to a friends' house. only one of the kids houses required that you knock first. his parents thought they were 'well to do' or something, and we picked on him about living in the same neighborhood as everyone else, but being 'better'. it was always good when we didn't have anything to burn/fix/break/shoot/dream about.

walking into a friends house meant the doors were unlocked, the TV off (usually), and if  no one was in the first room you walked into, you called "Hello  ? Mr. insertaname, is insertaname home?" If no one replied, you left the TV, radio, cash/coins that were on the table, really nice guitar leaned against the wall, car keys, car, jewelry that was upstairs (and you knew was upstairs), other valuables you never though twice about- and went out back to the garage looking for insertaname. you'd usually find him/her there, with dad, doing wahtever to a car/boat/plane/bike/motorcycle, and they'd welcome you, ask if you were thirsty etc.
Sometimes everyone would talk, sometimes they wouldn't.
Sometimes a game of staring would start up, and everyone knew who would win.
Sometimes we'd call over the fence for so-n-so to send over so-n-so to play too. And he/she would come right over, not wanting to miss out.

Not much for video games back then. Atari was huge, but it was crazy expensive.

The scariest thing in the neighborhood back then was making it home from the ballgame/staring contest/whatever before the street lights came on. And then the only punishment was a stern look from mom/dad and asking what you've been up to all day.

We slept with the windows open when weather permitted. We slept with the back doors open when it was hot. The air was too expensive to use all the time.

ya, the only time we locked the doors was when we went on vacation, and that was so a younger kid couldn't get lost, or accidentally go into the wrong house by mistake.

oh, and we really did know our neighbors, where they worked, where they went to church, what kind of beer they liked, how there parents were getting on, etc.

"Yes sir, no sir" wasn't out of fear, or just for officers with a taser. It was for everyone that might be older than you. It was just how stuff was done.

Then it all went to hell somewhere in the 80's or 90's.

[yamahonkawazuki]

BRAVO SIR, that just described my life as well  damn i feel old now 

[oramac]

When did we make the transition from 'youngster' to 'geezer'?  Shouldn't there have been a party, or maybe a wake?   

[Cal Price]

I rather like being "Geezer" to my son and his mates.

All of the above applies plus being born at the end of WW2 in England, the country was in ruins, we also contended with food and most things being on ration, iffy electrical supply with regular evening power cuts plus non-scientific remedies for our ailments. Those slightly older experienced bombing and shelling and as far as I know none of them saw a shrink or had counselling or therepy and guess what. We did more than survive and exist, we got lives and enjoyed them, well I still am anyway.

[Gisser]

Let's not forget how we rode these motorsickles way back when...

You see we didn't need no stinkin' helmet hair for just cruising around town.    This was gear =>    (minus the 'Fro. ).   Out the door, on the bike, thumb the start button and off we went.    And we lived through it......mostly .   So now there's this cumbersome process of donning boots and jacket and armour and gloves and earplugs and full-face helmets and THEN you feel guilty for wearing just cotten jeans.  Might as well go scuba diving, there's that much gear.   Just not practical anymore. 

Got some new all-day explorations mapped out if summer comes this year...new mountain routes to conquer...can't wait to get some new gear!

[Teek]

ohgood, yeah me too, what happened???       Makes me sad for kids today.

Gisser, WHAT start button?? Everything I rode was kick start only, sometimes kick and kick and kick.  And sometimes the bike kicked back!   
First bike I rode with electric start, unless my memory fails me (CRS), was a new Honda CB500, circa 1982. If I had to kick start a bike now, I don't know if I could, my right side is beat up and I could theoretically blow out my knee again, sigh....

But yeah, no helmets to put around the neighborhood.