How has childhood in America changed over the decades? This must watch video does an amazing job of describing what life was like for kids in America in the “old days”…
According to today’s regulators and bureaucrats those of us who were kids in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s or even early ‘80s, probably should not have survived. Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids or locks on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets. And when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We ate cupcakes, bread and butter and drink soda with lots of sugar in it. But we were rarely 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 street lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day.
Smartphones, we didn’t have cellphones at all, no PlayStations, Xboxes, limitless channels on cable, laptops or tablets. Facebook was an actual face and an actual book. We had friends. We went outside and found them. We played dodgeball, and sometimes the ball would hurt.
We fell out of trees, got cut and broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these 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 made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we didn’t put out any eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s home, knocked on the door, rang the bell or just walked right in and talked to them.
Little League 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 the 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. The idea of parents bailing us out if we got in trouble in school or broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the school or the law, imagine that. Now 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.
If you’ve related to anything that we just said, you’re one of them. Congratulations. You made it…