Its a wonder we are all still alive...

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Soldato
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How true is this?

If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's or 70's, looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have...

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.

Our cots were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cupboards, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets.

We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors.

We would spend hours building 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 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. No mobile phones. Unthinkable.

We got cut and broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no law suits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us.

Remember accidents?

We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.

We ate patty cakes, bread and butter, and drank cordial, but we were never overweight...we were always outside playing. We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games, 65 channels on pay TV, video tape movies, surround sound, personal mobile phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves!

Out there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian - how did we do it?

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls, 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.

Footy and netball had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment.....

Some students weren't as smart as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Tests were not adjusted for any reason.

Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law - imagine that!

This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and
problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

What has happened to all that?
 
Soldato
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i remember that, when i was young i was always outside. It all changed from about 15 onwards, still cant really think why!

Excellent post 5 stars. I feel truly sorry for the kids of today
 
Soldato
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good post - though I had all that despite growing up in the 80s as I lived in a small village in cornwall, went to village primary.

Have some great memories of going to the butchers when I was about 8-9 and getting offcuts then taking them down to the beach and going crabbing etc in groups of about 3-4 8yr oldsand riding down (when i look back) insanely steep slopes on skateboards only to hit a kerb and go flying! :D :D

I have to say that back then most of our games existed in our imaginations, ie building 'bases' out of matresses and sheets etc and generally making a mess :p

Loved every minute of it, and am very glad that we didnt have consoles and stuff like that!
 
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Mentality from California - too many PC people and liberal lefties decided that maybe criminals were not to blame for their actions so we should be soft on them. Human rights - something we made up and justice was thrown out of the window. If the cable wasn't there you wouldn't have tripped over it. If you were paying attention to where you walked you wouldn't have tripped over it. Who's to blame? It's certainly not you. Why should YOU be responsible for your own actions when someone else can foot the bill?
Is there anything LESS to do today for the younger generations than there was yesteryear? Not at all, there's no NEED to think up things to do and games to play. Why bother when you can sit around harrassing older people with your gangs of 15 friends, steal from people and get away with it? because "society has let you down".

As far as I'm concerned nobody should have "human rights" - you should have the privilege of being allowed to be in our society and you follow our rules. You break those rules and your privileges are taken from you. YOU are punished for YOUR actions. You make your peace with society by serving them in some way. You should NOT be allowed to have it easy - taking AGAIN from those you have upset. It's just not right :mad:
 
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Good post m8.

(prolly a cut 'n' paste but still)

Technology is (seriously in some cases) harming children if anything not giving them 'new windows of opportunity' or some such BS
 
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Soldato
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Originally posted by Jono
Mentality from California - too many PC people and liberal lefties decided that maybe criminals were not to blame for their actions so we should be soft on them. Human rights - something we made up and justice was thrown out of the window. If the cable wasn't there you wouldn't have tripped over it. If you were paying attention to where you walked you wouldn't have tripped over it. Who's to blame? It's certainly not you. Why should YOU be responsible for your own actions when someone else can foot the bill?
Is there anything LESS to do today for the younger generations than there was yesteryear? Not at all, there's no NEED to think up things to do and games to play. Why bother when you can sit around harrassing older people with your gangs of 15 friends, steal from people and get away with it? because "society has let you down".

As far as I'm concerned nobody should have "human rights" - you should have the privilege of being allowed to be in our society and you follow our rules. You break those rules and your privileges are taken from you. YOU are punished for YOUR actions. You make your peace with society by serving them in some way. You should NOT be allowed to have it easy - taking AGAIN from those you have upset. It's just not right :mad:

aaaand, breathe :)

I agree (mainly) with what your saying Jono, its mealy-mouthed hand-wringing liberals that have made a mockery of the justice system in the UK and USA
 
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wow best post ive read in agessss , iv thought about that kinda stuff maybe a couple of times when my dad has told me of stuff he got up to , e.g him and his pal raided my grandpa's tool shed and and after about an hour my dad had his finger dangeling off his hand, he never went to hospital or anything , my grandma just put a bandage over it, and he just had to deal with it :eek:

i guess i kinda feel lucky living in this generation
 
Soldato
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On a somewhat unrelated yet interesting note,

More and more studies are showing that the increasing amounts of asthma, allergies and other health problems are due to the 'insular' and clinical environment that kids are being brought up in meaning there is less challenge to their immune systems at an important time

'what doesnt kill you makes you stronger' :)
 
Soldato
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This post makes me feel young again. We did get up to some pretty stupid things. I once broke my wrist jumping over an old, fallen down fence. lol!

We used to go down the beach and jump around on slippery rocks with the tide fast approaching and every now and again we had to swim for it and freeze half to death walking home in wet clothes.

I don't think I ever had a pushbike with proper brakes, and if it did, they wouldn't work after we fitted the grifter rear wheel and handlebars.

We built treehouses in the highest trees we could find, and even spent the night in them, listening to the branches creak and wondering if our amature woodworking skill were up to the job.

We got dirty and bruised and cut, we had a laugh and hung about in groups, but we never bothered anyone and no-one ever felt intimidated when passing us by. If someone older asked us about our health, or family, we would give an honest, polite reply.

Sure we had a drink now and again, and we got chased by the local bobbies a few times, but we never felt the need to carry knives or steal cars or mug granny for her pension.

Ah, the good old days:)
 
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I also remember playing with fire a lot i.e. lynx deoderant flame thrower, home made bombs, french bangers and so on. Its a wonder ive still got all my faculties (well all my limbs then ):D
Also did lots of proper cross country at school where we would disapper for an hour or 2 (un tended by a teacher - although he did drive to checkpoints to make sure we was ok) and find our own way round the local country side before heading back to school.

as for climbing trees, scaffolding and generally any other dangerous things - my mate and I were the Daddies.

Also remember seeing who could have the best crash off their mountain bike whilst getting the biggest air. Many scratched elbows and legs but nothing too bad. Sure was fun tho.

How things have changed.....:D
 
Soldato
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I am an 80's Child, but all the above still applies, we went out and about all day. All day every day in the case of the summer holidays.

Events during this:

3 People hit round heads with golf clubs (Not watching what other people were doing) I'll confess now, I put someone in Hospital, mighty back swing I have! But that was his fault for trying to grab the club mid swing :rolleyes:

Riding bicycles through a confinfor hedge, mis judged rode straight into the trunk of one. Resulted in a nasty Operation a few months later.

One Work, Monkey ropes. We used to "Borrow" Large lengths of ropes from the dock near us to build monkey ropes. two people were subjected to ropes snapping on them. Anouther insodent involved three of us going at once, and one person being jack knifed off into a small tree, which didn't take is weight and he was promptly deposited into the stinging nettles below.

Large Ramps, we built a ram up agaisnt the side of a fallen tree, no one would dare ride their bike down the steep hill and go over this jump. However after much encouragement from myself someone did it. I will never forget the sight of them and there bike flying through the air about 8ft of the ground. The bike ended up wedged in a tree and my mate continued and fell in the brambles the other side of the tree.

Oh what fun we had. :)

That was before we got our hands on Mopeds and Mother Bikes. There are some stories there I tell you.

Not to mention all the tree climbing insodents.
 
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Soldato
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Another excellent post good sir, makes me think back to my childhood with great fondness.

I'll be reading this one out to my kids:)



Have another 5 stars good s'ah.*****
 
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