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For the 40s 50s 60s and70s gang

Mar 14, 2005
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For all who was bourn and raised in this era.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE

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

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a tin, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

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

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 hitchhiking .

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

Riding in the back of a van - loose - was always great fun.

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

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

We ate cakes, white bread and real butter and drank 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.

We would spend hours building our 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 learned to solve the problem .

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 text messaging, 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 .

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

Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not poke out any eyes.

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

Local teams had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

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

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

The past 50 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 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.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

PS -The BIG type is because your eyes are shot at your age

Brian
 
Oct 17, 2006
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Well Bri, well I guess I belong in this thread somewhere borne somewhere in the middle, did you not forget the marbles, dolls prams for the girlies, and most important as you said we all had friends. Liz
 
Mar 14, 2005
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James, are you lot still around???? after being starved and thrust into a war, thought you had all passed on to better things!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahemmmm..

Brian
 
Mar 14, 2005
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The old saying whereby one can choose one's friends but not one's family. There is also a saying in Wales that friends are to be cherished and not ridiculed as the best friends ever are your mother and father.
 
Feb 24, 2007
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Hi,

Spot on ... brought a lump to my throat .. all the things i remember from my youth , when you mention all the things of our past years makes you wonder how life got to be like it is today. Even though the children of today have all the gizmo's going and easier life i still do not think they could be as happy as we were.

Harry
 
Oct 17, 2006
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The old saying whereby one can choose one's friends but not one's family. There is also a saying in Wales that friends are to be cherished and not ridiculed as the best friends ever are your mother and father.
You are quite right Colin, mum and dad are your best friends,

sadly I have lost both my parents, but I do tell my daughter, this saying.
 
Nov 4, 2006
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James, are you lot still around???? after being starved and thrust into a war, thought you had all passed on to better things!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahemmmm..

Brian
I`m still very much around. Still manage between 80 - 100 miles in a day cycling around Derbyshire or Manchester - Llangollan and back which comes in at 150 miles but thats about an eleven hour day.

Between leaving school and starting work I had a six week holiday cycling round England on my own, staying at Youth Hostels. The whole trip was completed without taking a padlock and having nothing stolen and included a stopover in London.

You could`nt do that today.
 
Oct 17, 2006
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Well said Harry, children of today are not as happy as we were, maybe we as parents have too much nowadays, my parents did not have much, but I was happy, friends, etc,etc, my daughter has everything from her own laptop,ipod,mobile etc,etc, is she happy, not really, she wants more,more,more. I was never like that.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Liz - I was born just after the second world war finished and money was tight and rationing restricted what was available. I am the youngest of four children and our parents, like yours, gave us all that they could afford and what was available. An orange, nuts, a few chocolates, etc. in the stocking and the presents under the tree in the front room. Summertime was spent up the mountain playing and picking winberries and blackberries. As we got older we made a club house with a gang and had a so called skiffle group - T chest and broom handle for base, scrubbing board and thimbles and an acoustic guitar. Pinching cigarettes from a friend's father, smoking dried up chestnut leaves, etc. All part of growing up and the learning of life. On Radio Wales this morning they were talking of hop scotch, shove ha'penny, hook and wheel, gambos, etc. Tune into the Roy Noble show 9:00am on Radio Wales - available on the BBC web page or 882 mh on the Medium Wave.

We are partially to blame for our children's way of life - we have tried to give to them what our parents could not afford to give to us. Also we don't want to see our children differ from others, etc. Present day society has a lot to answer for also - we were out all day enjoying the summer school holidays whilst nowadays it is not safe to let children out of your sight for fear they will be attacked in one way or another.
 
Oct 17, 2006
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Hi Colin, I will try and tune into Radio Wales, but a bit difficult I could be called out on site, or already out on site,maybe in the winter months, I will remember anyway.

You hit the nail on the head when you say things are a lot different nowadays regarding letting children out to play,not safe, anymore, never like that when I was young, I was born early 195O's I have sister and brother who were war babies,so growing up with them, I appreciated things more, but its the society we live in nowadays, like keeping up with the J****s's

an old saying if you know what I mean.

Not to worry I am happy enough, I expect you are, life goes on.

P.S Hope you see my posting and other post on other thread?

Liz
 
Feb 11, 2007
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I feel left out i'm 74 Saturday, remember helping my Dad cut up with hand saws asbestos sheets to make a leanto, he passed on at 86.I will not bore you with wartime as a child but you are right in all the things you say .Cheers
 
May 12, 2006
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We are partially to blame for our children's way of life - we have tried to give to them what our parents could not afford to give to us. Also we don't want to see our children differ from others, etc. Present day society has a lot to answer for also - we were out all day enjoying the summer school holidays whilst nowadays it is not safe to let children out of your sight for fear they will be attacked in one way or another.

Sorry but B***s this is not true.

Val & Frank
 
Mar 14, 2005
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Frank - sorry but I do not understand what point you are trying to make. With my posting regarding the giving to children nowadays everything they ask for I have seen it myself with both my two grandchildren and the students I used to teach whilst in eduacation. They must have the best designer labels, trainers, etc. The majority of parents nowadays just give in and buy whatever is asked for.

Just after the second world war money was scarce and there was also the rationing. My parents had a far harder life financially than nowadays and we wore hand down clothes, made our own fun and games and not relied on everything being given to us when asked for. We did have certain luxeries but they were very special occassions such as Christmas. A Trix Twin "OO" gauge train set between my two brothers and myself - not a present each.

Looking back I think I had a very happy childhood and can never recall telling my parents on a summer school holiday that I was bored. For holidays it was either two weeks at my gran's house or two weeks with my aunty/uncle's house. No going abroad, caravanning, etc. for us but by damn we enjoyed our childhood.

Please do not think that this response is any way having a personal attack on you but as I said previously I do not understand the meaning of your posting. Possibly my old age catching up on me. Regrds - Colin
 
May 12, 2006
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Frank - sorry but I do not understand what point you are trying to make. With my posting regarding the giving to children nowadays everything they ask for I have seen it myself with both my two grandchildren and the students I used to teach whilst in eduacation. They must have the best designer labels, trainers, etc. The majority of parents nowadays just give in and buy whatever is asked for.

Just after the second world war money was scarce and there was also the rationing. My parents had a far harder life financially than nowadays and we wore hand down clothes, made our own fun and games and not relied on everything being given to us when asked for. We did have certain luxeries but they were very special occassions such as Christmas. A Trix Twin "OO" gauge train set between my two brothers and myself - not a present each.

Looking back I think I had a very happy childhood and can never recall telling my parents on a summer school holiday that I was bored. For holidays it was either two weeks at my gran's house or two weeks with my aunty/uncle's house. No going abroad, caravanning, etc. for us but by damn we enjoyed our childhood.

Please do not think that this response is any way having a personal attack on you but as I said previously I do not understand the meaning of your posting. Possibly my old age catching up on me. Regrds - Colin
Colin

My comment refers to your statement " it's not safe to let your children play out " Go to any site in the UK and children are playing, without real close parental supervision. I was also brought up in a poor family just after the war ended so I also know what hard up is.

Val & Frank
 
May 12, 2006
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Frank - sorry but I do not understand what point you are trying to make. With my posting regarding the giving to children nowadays everything they ask for I have seen it myself with both my two grandchildren and the students I used to teach whilst in eduacation. They must have the best designer labels, trainers, etc. The majority of parents nowadays just give in and buy whatever is asked for.

Just after the second world war money was scarce and there was also the rationing. My parents had a far harder life financially than nowadays and we wore hand down clothes, made our own fun and games and not relied on everything being given to us when asked for. We did have certain luxeries but they were very special occassions such as Christmas. A Trix Twin "OO" gauge train set between my two brothers and myself - not a present each.

Looking back I think I had a very happy childhood and can never recall telling my parents on a summer school holiday that I was bored. For holidays it was either two weeks at my gran's house or two weeks with my aunty/uncle's house. No going abroad, caravanning, etc. for us but by damn we enjoyed our childhood.

Please do not think that this response is any way having a personal attack on you but as I said previously I do not understand the meaning of your posting. Possibly my old age catching up on me. Regrds - Colin
Colin

My comment refers to your statement " it's not safe to let your children play out " Go to any site in the UK and children are playing, without real close parental supervision. I was also brought up in a poor family just after the war ended so I also know what hard up is.

Val & Frank
 
Oct 17, 2006
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Hi Frank, I also did not understand what you was getting at,

I don't partially blame myself, I blame society this day and age.

For example I went back to North London where I was born,lived and worked for most of my life until I moved down here to Cornwall, what I difference, I could not believe how things had changed, no children out playing. Even when they visit caravan sites parents are a bit wary of letting their children play in the playing area, why? because most children do not play out anymore. I certainly would not let my daughter out to play in the area in which I used to live.

Regards Liz
 
Apr 14, 2007
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Hello Bri, I was born in the 50`s and I could`nt agree with what you say more. I try to keep up with the times, e.g computers but what a nanny state we live in and its a fight to continue a normal lfe style. Everything is made so complicated we are going back arrow really. My pet hate at the mow are data bases (a list that can be cross referenced.) In fact anything that anyone enjoys is no go. You can`t eat food without everything being taken out that ever did you any good. You can`t have a drink or a ***. You can`t drive what car you want. And who in their right mind uses gas or electricity more than they need. (We have to pay for it)I`ll shut up now, just thought I`d give you my thoughts on the subject.
 

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