Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in a baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets, and, when we rode our bikes, we had 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, bald tires and sometimes no brakes on the car. Riding in the back of a pick-up truck 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, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And we weren’t overweight. WHY?
Because we always were outside playing, that’s why! We would leave home in the mornings 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, that was OK! We would spend hours building tree-houses, and go-carts out of scraps and ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes! After running into a few bushes and scraping our faces, arms, and knees, we learned to solve the problem. We did not have Play Stations, Nintendos, and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 250 to 300 channels on cable, no video movies or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms or Facebook. 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 for those accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand, and no one would call child services to report abuse. We ate 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 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 that 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 in our history. The past 50 to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovations and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success, and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
If you are one of those born between 1925-70, congratulations! You might want to share this column with others who have had to grow up as kids before the government regulated so much of our lives (for our own good). Think about some of the ridiculous things. I bet a few will come to mind very quickly.
While you are at it, send this to your kids, so they will know how brave and fortunate their parents were. Kind of makes you want to run around the house pulling your hair.” Jay Leno said recently on one of his late night shows, “With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, the Gulf oil spill, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?”
For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us, go ahead, think this way. For the rest of us, well let’s just pass it on. No matter what our kids and the new generation think of us, we are awesome! Our life is living proof!
Take care, be safe, be strong, be good to one another, and give thanks. Uncle Bill is over and out for this week.
Guest Columnist Bill Hill can be reached at billyunclebill@aol.com.
Sincerely,
J. Williams, MD