All we hear from today's generation is how hard done by they are.
If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's, looking back, it's hard to believe that we survived as long as we have, sit back and take a ride back to those Oh!! so hard times when:
· Our cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint.
· Mum looked after us at home while Dad went out to work, we had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cupboards, and we rode our bikes with no helmets.
· As children, we could ride in dads car with no seat belts or air bags.
· We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle, and Friday was bath night, in a tin bath in front of a real fire, no central heating.
· 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 quickly 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 bothered us; no one was able to reach us all day, No mobile phones.
· We got cuts, broken bones, broken teeth, and a bit dirty, they were called accidents, no one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents? there were no lawsuits from these.
· We had fights and punched each other silly and got black, blue and filthy but soon learned to get over it.
· We ate 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 it.
· We did not have Play stations, Nintendo, X-Boxes, video games, 65 channels on pay TV, video tape movies, DVD’s, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends, we went outside and found them.
· We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home knocked on the door, rung the bell, or just walked in to talk to them. Imagine such a thing today.
Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out there in the cold cruel world! 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 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 soon learned 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, problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 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 if you're one of them. Congratulations!
Have a good day WE deserve it.