In a message dated 3/19/2009 2:25:05 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

TO
ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE

1930’s,
40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s!!

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

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

Then after
that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered
with bright colored lead-base paints.

We had no
childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when
we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our
heads.

As infants
& children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats,
seat belts or air bags.

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

We drank
water from the garden hose 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
cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-aid made
with real white sugar. And, we weren’t overweight.
WHY?

Because we
were always outside, playing...that’s why!

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 and X-boxes. There were no video games, no
150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or
CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no 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 ate worms
and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us
forever.

We were given
BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis
balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out
very many eyes.

We rode
bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the
bell, or just walked 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.

Imagine
that!!

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

These
generations have produced some of the best risk-takers problem solvers
and inventors 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.

If YOU are
one of them? CONGRATULATIONS!
Author Unknown,,

In a message dated 3/19/2009 3:02:57 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,