The Pledge of Allegiance

[judy]

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.

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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 p ick 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 < /FONT>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 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 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.
< BR>< BR>
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 produce d 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 livesfor 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 th e 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?'



For those that prefer to think that God is not watching over us...go ahead and delete this.

For the rest of us...pass this ON!

[Mandy]

:thumbup: :thumbup: Thanks Judy, i am going to send this to my son, so he can read how hes dad, and i grew up :D I enjoyed this!!

[DianaB]

That was REALLY good! It's hard to believe that we survived at all!!!!!

This brought back so many memories of growing up! I played in the ditch water after it rained, played in the trees, and played kick-ball in the street where mailboxes and tar spots were the bases. We were always outside! That's how I raised my kids. We didn't have video games but we had the river nearby and the whole outside!!!

[katepoet]

I think that we don't know the statistics for how many kids died or live with permanent disability. I am sure it was higher than today. Sometimes reasons may have been known, sometimes unknown and sometimes misdiagnosed.

I remember how serious strep was, how few antibiotics there were compared to today, how little we knew about how the immune system functioned.

So yes, I walked or biked to school almost everyday, we even hitch hiked back then, until a friend had to fight her way out of a car. Biking kept me slim and strong. We certainly had more time for gym class - every day. I did field hockey, band, had an after school job and felt like I had time to spare but today all my students are under pressure. But they have so much more on their plates and live so far from their friends. They can't just bike a few blocks to see each other. It's not safe to let small kids play in the empty lot up the block, even in small towns. But it wasn't really safe then, we just thought it was. There were more of us - we baby boomers so perhaps there were more around to be eyes. And moms worked at home with children - but they usually didn't have a choice. Men controlled the money and decision making for so many.

But raped girls were ashamed. (I heard a rape once but there was nothing I could do about it.) Girls could not pursue the myriad of options for careers we have now. Mothers going back to work had very limited choices. Women stayed in bad marriages because divorce was shameful. I remember the first friend whose parents were divorcing - she cried at school in the cloak room so many days. I remember the couple that stayed together but in separate bedrooms and the daughter who said she would have rather they had divorced than have stayed in the same house with their kids. always arguing.

I remember spankings were approved by Dr. Spock who has since recanted his stand. Kids got into fights every year at the Thanksgiving football game, under the bleachers, riots happened in the early 70's, a piano teacher who was probably a pedophile.

I remember lots of good, too, but how many died of SIDS before it even had a name, how many had lead poisoning limit their IQ, how many didn't have any choice about how they survived? How many lost eyes and fingers? This just wasn't the focus of the news like it is today so we hear too much of the details of each child's loss. It was there then, we just didn't know about it as much.

[katepoet]

The edit time expired so excuse my double post -
I wanted to apologize for being such a wet blanket in response to something meant to entertain. I just get tired of hearing it was somehow better for these reasons and they are not really true, just how everyone remembers childhood in a way, biased towards what our mothers and fathers let us know and away from what they and society protected us from.

[rivermom]

This was so interesting to read. Reading slowly the sentences bringing memories alive being a kid. A smile formed remembering those nights out w/ the neighborhood kids playing "Kick The Can". Living in Southern California I had to be in the house by the time the fire works went off each night at Disneyland.

Not heading in through that door however before drinking out of the garden hose and ringing a few other neighbors doors for "Ding Door Ditch".

Being even younger heading out hiking with my Brother just a year older. We were gone all day. We walked - there was more to be seen by those dusty shoes then peddling some bike that day. Only harm done that day was having a cut on my leg which soon scared. That scar today brings fond memories when i look at it.

My Brother had a Daisy Bee-Bee gun. I know this for sure because he shot me in the back one day. He asked me to move and I told hin I didn't want to. Guess he thought it was not the correct answer and he shot me. Oh it didn't break the skin, but it sure stung pretty good. Oh gosh, it's funny looking back on the past!


I skated in skates w/ metal wheels and thought I was a star when the wheels created sparks sliding against the paved street.

Dark at night being a teen id sneak out to meet a friend. We'd rush along carrying bags of toilet paper ready to paper the house of those we knew celebrating a birthday, a special day, or sometimes needing no reason at all.

We created forts - and were strict on havig those who enter give the correct password. We made lemonaide stands in hopes to make enough change to run to the nearest T G & Y Drug Store for a scoop of ice cream.

We played school at home on weekends and actually had fun learning. Going back to school on Monday never caused a worry of getting shot. The worst at school was finding out the guy you liked didn't care at all about you. Or you had an argument with your best friend and you didn't talk for a week. Those weeks were the longest of my life back then. To me this was "trauma in school"

Riding horses on acres and acres of your own land - none of which was trespassing...Or if you needed more speed you'd jump on the minibike.

putting a card in the spoke of your wheel attached with a close pin just to make power sounds as you rode your bike.

I walked down sidewalks twirling the hoola-hoop around my waist for blocks and blocks. Or ran across a few neighbors yards to gain some speed for countless cart wheels or back flips.

Really wasn't indoors too much. But when I was I played with my turntable and records. Had not a clue about the meaning of "video game" or a tv with more than 8 channels on it LOL

There were some horrible times too - but i guess when you become an adult you try to focus on the good stuff and not dwell on what couldn't have been changed.

[katepoet]

Great memories rivermom. We built forts and had passwords to them to, and lemonade stands. I ran day camp in my backyard for all the neighbors kids in the summer when I was 11. We believed in secrets and magic and good books. We baked our own cookie and pie recipes and mixed secret concoctions into our chocolate milk that our mother required us to drink afterward - yuck!

Didn't you raise your kids or aren't you raising or planning to raise them - doing the same things? Being creative, having fun, believing in themselves, fairies and all the rest?

[rivermom]

Great memories rivermom. We built forts and had passwords to them to, and lemonade stands. I ran day camp in my backyard for all the neighbors kids in the summer when I was 11. We believed in secrets and magic and good books. We baked our own cookie and pie recipes and mixed secret concoctions into our chocolate milk that our mother required us to drink afterward - yuck!

Didn't you raise your kids or aren't you raising or planning to raise them - doing the same things? Being creative, having fun, believing in themselves, fairies and all the rest?

Thanks Kate :)
Yes, the kids were raised on ferris wheels holding a corn dog or cotton candy at a fair Friday nights. We had puppet shows, built models w/ glue that stunk real bad and none of them carried it off later to get high on.

They grew up on little league lots - each year wondering if truly the snack shack could create it's own food group by eating nachos for dinner 3-4 times a week.

we traveled once a year on family vacations. Camping, exploring, getting smashed by a wave on a visit to the beach.

They grew up believing (for awhile) that those white boot marks walking accross the carpet towards the Christmas tree truly were from Santa. (Baking soda poured into a pan, then stepped in)

Wishes were made with my daughter sitting on the back yard picnic table staring up at the stars.

Her and I created doll houses and she thought they were mansions.

Having free passes to Disney Land they can see lot's of magic being made.

Yes, they believe in themselves by making their own choices in their life. Realizing that every action in those choices has a reaction and it's accountability.

[katepoet]

Wonderful!

[AngieDoogles]

It's a lot of fun reading everyone's memories, especially because things were much different when I grew up...

Thanks for sharing all of your memories and experiences!

[judy]

Talk about "the good old days..."

My whole family went to the country for the summers, and my cousins and I belonged to the "Nature and Science Club." This involved a large part of every day. We all took off for Indian Rock, which was located beyond the blueberry field, and just in front of the Seven Meadows. Every time we went, we had to go through the initiation ritual, which we took as seriously as we would later on when choosing which car or house to buy. It involved sliding down the path, climbing up the tree, doing something by the cave, and doing several other things, until finally we had to jump across the chasm in Indian Rock which had been created by lightening many years before. Of course, if anyone messed up, they got a do over. Then we spent the rest of our time there playing. It was serious play though and had to do with a million things, like nature, and being family, and strength, and ideas and being ourselves and alive.

I kissed my first boyfriend, Eddie Rubin, who had dimples and smoked cigarettes, in the cave. My boy cousins stood in a group nearby and I remember knowing that
they did not approve - he smoked cigarettes, and I was letting a boy kiss me!

Then we would go the the top of the Rolling Meadow, where we would run to the top of the hill it formed, and then rolled down into the ditch at the bottom. We did this over and over again, and our laughter was wonderful!

I sometimes went there myself. It was there that I learned that fantasy is sometimes better than reality and I met God there. One of the meadows was called the Bridal Veil Meadow because the trees in front of it met and it looked like an alter to be married under. I stood there for a long time wanting to go in,
but I didn't because I knew that the mystery of what beauty might be inside, through those trees, was better than what I really would find. I felt a shimmering presence there that day, who I knew was God.

Those were some of the finest days of my life.

[katepoet]

Do you write, Judy?

[AngieDoogles]

Wow Judy. That was amazing! I just love you attitude and outlook on life so much!