HOW DID WE SURVIVE?

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. Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was
always a special treat.

Our baby cribs were painted with bright colored lead based
paint. We often chewed on the crib, ingesting the paint.

We had no childproof lids 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 would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps
and then rode 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.

We played dodge ball and sometimes
the ball would really hurt.

We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda,
but we were never over weight; we were always outside
playing.

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 or didn't work
hard so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the
same grade.

That generation produced some of the greatest risk-takers
and problem solvers. We had the freedom, failure, success
and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

..........author unknown