God!!! We Survived

Guilty as Charged… But never on parole :)

I came across a post in a Discussion Forum reading 'TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70’s!!'

It was all about kids born before 1980 and the joy they felt as born-free humans. I noticed that it was not just me who very often pondered over the memories of childhood (like kolam, bicycle masti, etc).

It is so true that we were more crazy than the kids we see the since the past two decades.

The post had a lot of memories listed down... the few that reminded me of my own childhood are here...

* First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us, giving a chance to our children to be proud that their mother too didn't smoke or drink.

* 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 talking to strangers.

* As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags, just in case someone gave us a car ride.

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

* We shared one soft drink with four friends (pitching in everyone's weekend allowance of 1re each), from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

* We ate cakes 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.

* The one photo session day in school was one of the most hated days of the year but still we got our uniforms pressed for the great day.

* 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 cell 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. Most often, our friends became the doctors treating us ;).. Lest parents knew about it

* We made up games with sticks and rubber balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

* We rode bicycles or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

* This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

* We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And if YOU are one of them… CONGRATULATIONS!

I wish our kids would get a glimpse of the funny, cranky life we had and know what they actually missed. I bet my life to the fact that all the latest gadgets available could never show them the bliss we experienced years back.

If you remember such events from the past and that which are hard to see in today’s world… do drop a few lines about them. I know each one of you are thinking about them with a smile on your lips .. :)