When we were kids

[beets442]

THOSE born 1920-1979

READ TO THE BOTTOM FOR QUOTE OF THE MONTH BY JAY LENO. IF YOU DON'T READ ANYTHING ELSE---VERY WELL STATED



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-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 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 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 and real butter and drank Kool-aid made with sugar, 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 ou t 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 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computer! S, no Internet or 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 poke 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 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 themCONGRATULATIONS!



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 so much of our lives for our own good .

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.



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



The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:

'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

[RIDE-RED 250r]

THOSE born 1920-1979


The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:

'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'

excellently spoken....

Im a '78 model myself....

[dksix]

It's crazy that this would be here. A guy I grew up with and I was talking about this very thing today. I grew up in the country and we worked, not jobs. We worked for parents, grandparents aunts and uncles for free. And we didn't complain about it, or we would have been working for free with a burning sensation to remind us how lucky we were.

[haggard 2hundie]

just made it 79 model here but growin up in the 80's and early 90's was the best most memorable times of my life , tree forts mud clod fights neighborhood boxing tourneys, and nobodys parents could find us till the street lights came on i really miss those days before cell phones and overprotective parents

[Thorpe]

Isnt this a country song? Tim McGraw -- Back When...?

I'd like to think I managed to catch the tail end of it as a 1980 model....

[whitetail hunter]

yeah! billy curington

[bigjeeper]

70 modle here kids these days are wimps

[Fungo Wizard]

My wife and I had this conversation yesterday. She said man it is hot, and I said yeah do you remember when we were kids and we were outside in this heat all day. Nowadays all the kids are inside because we have heat warnings. Did we have heat warnings when we were kids? I don't remember my parents saying man it is hot make sure you stay inside today. We are training our kids to be soft. I grew up in NE Arkansas in watermelon country and used to be out in the field all day pitchin melons. As parents we need to kick our kids out of the house and keep an eye on them but let them condition themselves to tolerate the heat, and not go into shut down mode. I am as guilty as anyone, but I am trying to change that and get my kids outside. I coach baseball all summer and am tolerant of the heat so it nevers feels that hot even when it is. We (wife and me) just had the conversation about are we teaching our kids to be tough or are we causing them to be soft.

[harryredtrike]

product of the 60's here.loved my childhood,and feel very lucky.i may be part of the problem cause i would never let my kid do what i did.i stayed outside all day(came home for dinner)and out till curfue,everyday.we had no central air in the house only a fan to share with my sisters.one fan in between two bedrooms,what is that mom and dad.pure child abuse there

[RIDE-RED 250r]

kinda cool how many like minded people are members on this site, and on so many issues too.....

[HuffieVA]

I'm a 71 model, my wife is a 76 we pride ourselves on letting our kids "Live" and not just exist, we have 94, 95, 96 & 97 models that don't just sit around and play play station, one of my favorite memories so far was one day our kids were all riding in the "Track Yard" and some lady pulls in the driveway with her two kids (game boys in one hand twinkies in the other) all at least 100 pounds over the national average and commences to chew me a new one because I'm subjecting my kids to serious injury or death... "Just what are you gonna do when one of them brakes their leg???" I replied that of course we don't want any our our kids to get injured, but if they do happen to hurt themselves that we would of course take them to the hospital and have them attended to... she went on and on, and began to get downright nasty about things, basically a "Your a terrible parent" rant for the ages, finally in a last ditch effort to shut her up and have her move along down the road, I sad "OK, now can I ask you a question?" "WHAT?" she snapped... "What exactly are you gonna do when one of those fat little bastards finally pops?" well, we've never seen her again... Which is too bad, I was gonna ask her if she wanted to play a round of lawn darts...

[trikeman78]

Im a 78 model and built well with pride in the USA. No mexican or chinese parts installed. I have 2 girls, 14 and 12. Yes I was a father at 18. I moved out of my parents house when I was 17 and have supported myself ever since. My girls are part of the "always connected generation".
When I was a kid I had to stay inside when I got punished.
When I punish my kids, I force them to go outside without there Ipods and cell phones.

[dksix]

"Just what are you gonna do when one of them brakes their leg???"

Just wrap it up in an Ace bandage, they're young, it will grow back in a couple weeks. LOL

[SYKO]

holding down 1979, I remember the south side of chicago growing up taking the trains to the museums if I wanted to see some cool stuff, playing at a playground with freinds actualy riding my bike or walking to school. Now kids look up stuff on wikipedia, play video games and get droped off by their ever conforming parents. lol im in trouble I partake in all of those actions, but my parents embeded in me feirce dissaplin that pours fear into my children when awakend.... yea I wish they just say "whatever dad.. your lame-o" ....... WTFH happened! lol

[brapp]

i'm an 84 myself but i grew up the country life w eplayed in sandboxes and dirtpiles rode on tractors and in th eback of trucks. i rember runnign bull dozer by myself at 4 years old yeah i wasnt pushign dirt but i was driving it from point a to point b and i rember bombign trough the woods with a 79 f 250 with my dad cuttign firewood, is till have allhis old pioner partners and guess what pro chains and all the brakes were taken off!!!! and i am still around too.

[Dirtcrasher]

1970 here, technology is destroying the innocence of youth.

My BMX bike was my LIFE, nothing was on TV, we just wanted to go practice at the BMX track and then the volunteers dropped out and there was no more track. That was the beginning of the end......................................

It's great that I can talk to you guys and buy parts online but the text messaging, facebook and MySpace can all go to hell...................

[Fungo Wizard]

So this question needs to be asked and answered. How do we change this for our kids. I booted my kids out at 6 tonight and told them they can't come inside til dark. Funny thing, my son played kickball and my daughter was running around with the dog, and neither one complained about the heat and both were still playing at dark. There is my start, now I need to leave the power tools out, and install a street light, put a television on a tv tray, paint their play house in a lead based paint, and cut the seat belts out of my truck. Pre technology here we come!!!!!

[hang&rattle]

1969. Don't get me started. My kids are not of this generation though. You all have seen them jumping trikes and sliding around corners. Me and my son rode so hard today in and up a river for 5 hrs.. My kids spend everyday at the pool. We camp and fish, they drink out of streams and will never get giardia. We live in a town of around 400 people, 200 in town. My morals have not changed and teach my kids to actually fight back and defend themselves. I let them school other smart ass kids to teach the less fortunate pussy kids, that they're mouths do have consequences, my son or daughter will kick their trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro. I am old school and will not sub-come to the twisted morals and ethics shoved down society's throat. I stand and pay dearly for it, but I will stand my ground. I don't sue, I punch. I don't threaten, I do it. My kids do too, and are the favorites in school, and get the most attention. I grew up in a recession and now a depression. This is the 3rd war in my lifetime. Nixxon was president. Elvis died and I was old enought to know it. Terry Bradshaw was one of my favorites. Roger Decoster. Stu Thompson. Ricard Petty was on T-shirts. Wow. Things have changed.

[haggard 2hundie]

who here was ever sent to the store or market as a child with a note from mom ?" please sell my son 2 packs of merit ciggaretes " i was a smoke gopher plenty of times, ahh the 80's... or how about dad letting u crack a beer at the ripe age of 10 ? good times . and i do enjoy some beer but i am not an alcoholic and i hate ciggarettes to this day but i lved buying them for mom as a shortie, wierd .

[Thorpe]

Just what are you gonna do when one of them brakes their leg???"


Just wrap it up in an Ace bandage, they're young, it will grow back in a couple weeks. LOL

Robitussin!! (Any Chris Rock fans in here???)

[swampthang]

lol, pour it on there legs let the tussin do its work!

[thestud25]

I do recognize that there is definitely a generation gap between some members on here. I don't view it as much as when you were raised, as compared to who raised you! There have always been parents that could care less about their kids(or their actions), and those kids typically(not entirely) are big problems in society and current residents in our penal system(or Federal Government!). Then you have the parents that teach/taught their childrens manners, respect of their elders, right and wrong, and now those kids are functioning members of society. You also have the parents that smothered their children and babied them to the point to where the kids never left their parents basement and now they are socially inept and bring no value to society.

The difference between 1950 and now is that in 1950 people had pride in their God, Country, and family instilled morals. Too often has society let the TV babysit and raise the children and we wonder why we are in the mess we are in. I am not a religous nut, and some may fight me on this, but when they pulled the "Pledge of Allegiance" out of the schools, and "God" out of the state, our Country's morals and ethics seemed to follow.

My Atheist buddy said it best. The Ten Commandments are a great guide to life. You don't kill, steal, drill your neighbors wife, you respect your elders, etc!

Sorry to get all preachy.

[atctim]

Actually the song is by Bucky Convington (the weird Country artist who got his start on American Idol) called "A Different World"

Here are the song words:

We were born to mothers who smoked and drank
Our cribs were covered in lead based paint
No child proof lids no seat belts in cars
Rode bikes with no helmets and still here we are, still here we are
We got daddy's belt when we misbehaved
Had three TV channels you got up to change
No video games and no satellite
All we had were friends and they were outside, playin' outside

It was a different life
When we were boys and girls
Not just a different time
It was a different world

School always started the same every day
The pledge of allegiance then someone would pray
Not every kid made the team when they tried
We got disappointed and that was all right, we turned out all right

No bottled water, we drank from a garden hose
And every Sunday, all the stores were closed

It was a different world

[Ironbnder]

I am a '74 and my wife is much younger. I made the statement the other day about me and my brother being home during the summers and going outside cause the house would be hot. She was confused and could not believe when I told her there was no air conditioner. That came later in life and usually ran only after dad got home. What would kids do today to be home with no a/c? They would think they were going to die. We did not know any difference and turned out just fine.

[hublake]

I am a '74 and my wife is much younger. I made the statement the other day about me and my brother being home during the summers and going outside cause the house would be hot. She was confused and could not believe when I told her there was no air conditioner. That came later in life and usually ran only after dad got home. What would kids do today to be home with no a/c? They would think they were going to die. We did not know any difference and turned out just fine.

Reading the above statement made me smile about the AC. I finally broke down and put in a new furnace with AC this summer. I am from a much older generation-44. I am a retired teacher and have been for 12 years, you should have seen the expression on their faces when I told them I went to a one room school from K-8 and all the schools had outdoor johns and we had to pump water from a well to carry inside for drinking. My folks did not get a phone in their house until I was 12. We got TV at the same time and could get only 1 channel.

[Dirtcrasher]

My Dad is 70 y.o. He said when he was a kid that they would just scrape the mold off of jams and jellies etc. or they got beat, there was no food wasting back then!

He was so poor in Canada that he would fill his radiator in his car, drive to the destination and drain it so it wouldn't freeze, then refill it to get back home and drain it again.

He became an engineer at NorthEastern University, couldn't STAND being told when to come in/punch out and when to take breaks. He worked that job during the day and bought/rehabbed apartment homes at night. He quit his job at just under 40 y.o. and has since maintained his 3 tenament homes.

I wish he had more time for the family, but now I know what goal he was looking towards and nothing was gonna stop him...................

[RIDE-RED 250r]

I do recognize that there is definitely a generation gap between some members on here. I don't view it as much as when you were raised, as compared to who raised you! There have always been parents that could care less about their kids(or their actions), and those kids typically(not entirely) are big problems in society and current residents in our penal system(or Federal Government!). Then you have the parents that teach/taught their childrens manners, respect of their elders, right and wrong, and now those kids are functioning members of society. You also have the parents that smothered their children and babied them to the point to where the kids never left their parents basement and now they are socially inept and bring no value to society.

The difference between 1950 and now is that in 1950 people had pride in their God, Country, and family instilled morals. Too often has society let the TV babysit and raise the children and we wonder why we are in the mess we are in. I am not a religous nut, and some may fight me on this, but when they pulled the "Pledge of Allegiance" out of the schools, and "God" out of the state, our Country's morals and ethics seemed to follow.

My Atheist buddy said it best. The Ten Commandments are a great guide to life. You don't kill, steal, drill your neighbors wife, you respect your elders, etc!



Sorry to get all preachy.

Great post! Couldnt agree more! :beer

[beets442]

1967'-here.....Glad you guys liked it.
I remember when a hand full of army men and a couple of matchbox cars were entertainment for the day, oh yea' and a garden hose.... Good day Beets

[cattle-dog]

i am a 64 model and grew up in a tight little nieghborhood where it was hard to get away with anything, the locals would give you a cuff on the head and take you home for the real butt wooping. we had a little store up at the main road that had a old fashioned candy counter with all the old school candy that our kids dont know about. old mr secore would have the store open at 7am so we could spend our lunch money there everyday lol. i started useing my money to buy smokes at age 12 marlboro reds were the thing back then, no note needed.
i was the rebel of the nieghborhood with a dirtbike, leatherjacket,and a pack of reds. we had a creek to fish and swim in, tons of trails.
life in the 70`s was a increadable time to grow up in. i always worked doing grass and odd jobs, so i allways had money saved. at age 15 i bought a wrecked 73 z28 with 43,000 miles for $450, i put in a new subframe and front clip, at sixteen i was cruzing the nicest z28 around our little town. we also had a local sheriff who was friends with all our parents, if you got in trouble he took you home or was there waitng for you having a cup of coffee with you dad. the best thing was you were safe, everyone watched out for us and each other. life back in the 70`s was so uncomplicated, if i could only turn back the clock. cattle-dog

[Mosh]

I remember when you could smoke in schools and Hospitals!

We went outside with a stack of pallets and cup of nails..We built forts...
We rode and wrenched on bikes constantly..
Backyard tackle football.
Snowball fights from hell...

Mom dropped us at the Mall and left us there the whole day because it was a safe place to be.

We drove a 74 Monte Carlo with no floorboards in the back seat..You could look down and watch the road fly by.

When you got skinned up your neighbor down the road fixed you up.

People kept their damn dogs in their own yard, because they had respect for the neighbors.

Police cars said (to protect and serve) on them..Now nothing!

When a kid got lippy at school...He got cold cocked in the jaw and we all went back to class..You didnt get suspended for it.

We didnt need "the birds bee's" talk at the age of 12....

I remember seeing the first cell phone..Attached to it was some sort of Samsonite suitcase transponder that wieghed 18 pounds..I thought to myself, now that will never catch on....
Now 10 year old kids parents pay a cell phone bill, that quite frankly would make a nice used car payment once a month!

When someone was broke down on the road...Someone always stopped to help!

Your kids could safely sell lemonade out of the front yard...And people stopped to buy some!

When our trikes or bikes or dirtbikes were broken...we went out and figured it out by ourselves. We didnt have the internet to help us..

If you made a wrong turn on a road trip, it lead to some unique scenery...We didn't need some pussy ass voice box to tell us a to make a right turn in 5.5 miles....and we did not have mapquest...A road map would get you anywhere you needed to go..

Cars didnt have seatbelts....They were built strong enough to protect you in a crash....

Your Mom was home to raise you why dad payed the bills and he was home on the weekends and by 5PM everynite, and they could afford the house payment on one paycheck!

Your friends parents were actually allowed to spank or punish you for mis-behaving, and your parents would commend them for keeping a watchful eye on you.

Places of business had the RIGHT to refuse service to anyone...Now they get sued if the handicap ramp isn't the proper slope!



Thanks goodness for attorneys........Yeah right!
This society SUCKS!

[200x350xtriz250]

Surprised on an atv forum no one has mentioned "If you can start it you can ride it" because very few bikes were electric start. Kick or pull only. Now a 3 year old can start 700cc quad - or just about any other sized quad sold today - they only have to watch someone else do it once or twice to know the drill.

[Vealmonkey]

I grew up in a rural area during highshool. We would get permission slips to be absent to go make money bailing hay or taking in the corn or storing hay in the lofts or whatever there was to be done. At 16, I had a 57 chevy pickup truck that my dad paid $25 for and gave me for my 15th birthday. It was a farm truck complete with the orange triangle screwed to the tailgate. My dad told me if I got a steady job and worked hard and put money and time into the truck, it might be street legal by the time I was 16. And it was. I worked washing dishes in a supper club/ restaurant and worked at the same car lot my dad did doing everything. Cleaning toilets, washing windows, washing cars, putting literature in the displays, sweeping floors, emptying trashcans and helping in the body shop if need be. Tuesday and Thursday nights were called hobby nights at the dealership and the guys could work on their own cars on the lifts and such. And that is where I fixed my truck up and learned alot more about turning wrenches. Of course I had a dirt bike and the atc90. Once my truck was done, I had a gun rack in the back and went everywhere with my rifles and shot guns. No one ever got into my truck and took them. I took my guns to school everyday and never had a problem or shot anyone. LOL If I didn't have to work which was rare, we often went hunting. Rabbit, squirrel or dove or pheasant hunting. Occasionally deer hunting in season. Heck, I was know to have a fishing pole in the gun rack sometimes too. I didn't hear anyone mention party lines. I grew up in a townhouse development before we moved to the country and when you picked up the phone to call my grandmother, you had to make sure no one else was on the line already. And if someone was, you said sorry and excuse me. We had a insulated aluminum box the milkman dropped off your milk. We had a pretzel and potato chip man. And how many people on here remember "diaper services"? Real cloth diapers, not pampers. My mom always joked that she was the diaper service. Who remember when the only gas was leaded and you had ethyl or methyl? Regular or High test depending on the station. Esso, not Exxon. Burger Chef and Ginos hamburgers. The McDonalds in my town only had a walk up window. I remember when the Big Mac came out. I could mention so many things that have come and gone. Heck, the school I went to for 5th grade turned into a court house and was where John Wayne and Lorena Bobbit went to trail for her cutting off his "member"! My 1st through 4th grade school had plumbing problems and when they dug up some of the piping, they found civil war bullets!!! Manassas Virginia. A old farmhouse my parents looked in buying still had blood stains from the civil war as it was used as a hopital during one of the battles. When my mom found this out, let's just say the house was a no sale! We would go metal detecting around a freinds house and found tons of civil war relics. Buttons, buckles, bayonets, bullets, canon rounds, bottles, pieces of pipes, all kinds of stuff. Who wanted to come in from doing stuff like that. We rode the high power lines for miles. All you made sure of, that if you had to open a gate to come through, you closed it behind you and continued on our way. I remember riding my dirt bike to the local country store to fill it up with gas, at less then 80 cents per gallon!!! If you really messed up and one of the other parents around town saw you, well, who knows what would be in store for when you got home. People didn't have thier hands out and were almost offended when you offered them help. A kid in school, his family house burnt down from bad electical and his folks pretty much refused help and finally when they accepted the towns generosity his father broke down and cried. And people from the town and the local builder helped him rebuild his familys home again, for next to nothing. And everyone pitched in. Food, clothing, labor, goods to rebuild the house, whatever it took. The house looked basically the same since it was built on the same basement foundation, but everything was new and better. Better doors and windows and electrical and modern siding and new and better shingles and stuff. I do miss the closeness of the small town, but I wonder how different it is today.

[cattle-dog]

i have to say Mosh and Vealmonkey we must have grown up around the same time period, the things you both wrote really hit home, i have to say i still try to live that simple trusting small town life.
my father instilled morals in myself and my family, i am lucky and still see my father everyday. we have worked together for 28 years. we have always stayed in the general area i grew up in. i live in a farm community and everyone around us has the hard working small town ethics. i have been lucky in my life and like to think it all go`s back to how i was raised and where i lived. allways remember you reap what you sew. life is good Cattle-dog

[dksix]

I was reading through the thread again and can't believe no one has mentioned BB gun wars. We rarely used our high powered "pump" guns but the Red Riders sure would leave a knot, lol. When you were at a friend's house and acted up, you got it from them and you kept your mouth shut about it and you hoped they didn't tell you parents that they "had" to wear you out. Cause that just meant another one cause "I taught you better than that". I can remember selling my 10th grade math teacher a shot gun. He asked the class if they new where any good buys on a shot gun, I told him what I had and how much and he say "bring it tomorrow, I want to look at it" and I did. We walked out to my car the next morning, he bought it then told me to take it around (to the teachers parking lot) and put it in his truck. No one was alarmed when they seen me carrying a shotgun around the school, no one thought I was going to go on a killing spree and it was laying in the front seat of his unlocked truck when he went home that afternoon. If you seen someone lock their cars doors you thought THEY were up to something. I was picking my 7 year old up at school yesterday and when I asked his teacher how his day was (she was my 4th grade teacher at the same school) she said he didn't want to pay attention today. I said it's a shame you can't beat him like you did us, and we both laughed about it. And she has busted my butt a couple times, lol. Reading through this makes me smile as I think back and sad as I think about where it seems we are headed. I heard one of the Blue Collar guys talking about time outs, he said : yea my dad's idea of time out was taking time out of his busy schedule to beat my XXX, lol. I think his dad must have went to the same school as mine. One more thing, how many of you all have went back and apologize to your dad AFTER he whipped you? I did, cause I wanted to make sure that dad knew the problem was fixed. Then I'd climb up on his lap and watch something like 60 minutes, Hee Haw or Andy <<<the greatest show ever! I'm just trying to be like my dad, he didn't do too bad with this one.

[cattle-dog]

i was hpldimg back on the b.b gun wars as i dont think the younger kids that maybe on here can habdle it. the memorys of the old days allways make me smile, while my father was in vietnam i lived with my grand parents and my sister, my mom turned hippie and wandered off one day,i have seen her twice in my 47 years.
life with the grandparents was great grampa was a union carbide worker and gramma was a nurse at a tiney local hospital. we would go camping in the adirondak mountains, and visit my great grand parent in the pennsylvania hills, papa`s house was on the allegany river. we played in that river chasing mud puppy`s and fish. we would walk up to the local swimming hole and swim.
gramma and grampa could just give you the look when they thought you were acting up, that look was more powerfull than the worst whooping.