[BITList] From one of our British Cousins , God I'm getting old! ....

[John Feltham]

-----



CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE

1930's 1940's, 50's, 60's and early 70's !


First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while  
they carried us and lived in houses made of asbestos.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products, loads of bacon  
and processed meat, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for  
diabetes or cervical cancer.


Then after that trauma, our baby cots were covered with bright  
coloured lead-based paints.


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


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


We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.


Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no pizza shops,  
McDonalds , KFC, Subway or Nandos.


Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and didn't open on the  
weekends, somehow we didn't starve to death!


We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE  
actually died from this.


We could collect old drink bottles and cash them in at the corner  
store and buy  Toffees, Gobstoppers, Bubble Gum and some bangers to  
blow up frogs with.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks  
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 old prams and then  
ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. We built  
tree houses and dens and played in river beds with matchbox cars.


We did not have Playstations, Nintendo Wii , X-boxes, no video games  
at all, no 999 channels on SKY ,
no video/dvd  films,
no mobile phones, 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, broke bones and teeth and there were no
Lawsuits from these accidents.



Only girls had pierced ears!



We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live  
in us forever.



You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns at Easter time...



We were given air guns and catapults for our 10th birthdays,



We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or  
rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Mum didn't have to go to work to help dad make ends meet!



RUGBY and CRICKET had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those  
who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!  
Getting into the team was based on
MERIT



Our teachers used to hit us with canes and gym shoes and bully's  
always ruled the playground at school.





The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!



Our parents didn't invent stupid names for their kids like 'Kiora' and  
'Blade' and 'Ridge' and 'Vanilla'



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 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.





PS -The big type is because your eyes are not too good at your age  
anymore






ooroo

If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door.

Anon.



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