TO ALL THE KIDS

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE
1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who had no means or money to
go for expensive ultrasounds, who drank tea and coffee,
and most likely didn't even go regularly to a gynecologist,
while they carried us.

They took aspirin, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were 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 children, we would ride in cars with no 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 soda pop with
sugar in it, 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 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound,
no cellphones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........
WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broken bones and teeth and there were
no lawsuits from these accidents.

We 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 yelled for 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!

This generation has 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!

And 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 (no offence to any lawyers out there) and
the government regulated our lives for our own good and while you are
at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.