Do you remember riding your bike, WITH NO HELMET, to the local “5 & Dime” for a Saturday lunch and milkshake at the “luncheon counter”? Your crib probably had paint with lead in it!! And you didn’t run in the house for a drink while you played outside “until the streetlights” came on– no– you found the hose for a quick drink of water.
Drifting away from politics or even Michael Jackson, this blog appeared in ParentDish… a trip down memory lane for some!!
How Did We Ever Survive Childhood?
by ParentDish Staff Jul 8th 2009 12:00PM
Categories: Toddlers
These days, when adults (especially parents) reflect on their childhoods in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, they think of a simpler time. A time when you had free reign to do whatever felt fun, as long as you were home by dark or dinnertime. But looking back — given how much parenting practices and “what’s considered appropriate” have changed since we were kids — it’s truly a wonder that any of us ever survived childhood. Tons of stuff our parents did (or let us do) that was deemed commonplace when we were growing up, is totally frowned upon today. In fact, some of the standard operating procedures from back in the day could potentially get a parent arrested in 2009! We just heard that a school in the UK has banned swim goggles, deeming them too dangerous for kids. Check out this unbelievable walk down memory lane, courtesy of readers from ParentDish and CafeMom.com.
See Slideshow at: http://www.parentdish.com/2009/07/08/how-did-we-ever-survive-childhood/
Just Americans Making Ethical Statements Weblog 
4 comments
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July 13, 2009 at 11:38 am
slamdunk
Funny stuff–yes, it is amazing that anyone survived childhood in the old days.
July 13, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Interested Bystander
Hey All,
Just going outside now days is pretty much taboo for the younger folks.
Heck we played tackle football, Cowboys and Indians, put cards in the spokes of our bike and jumped things on home made ramps, climbed trees and all kinds of stuff, and if you got skinned up, you put a band aid on it and went on about your business.
It’s really sad that we have gotten to the point of not having any risk in your life. To me, it builds character. Remember the old saying “Face your fears”?
July 13, 2009 at 10:18 pm
stothes
I remember when I was a kid. My dads plastic paint tarps, a bottle of Dawn, and the water hose made for an awesome slip-n-slide for me and the few kids that lived near our farm out in the country. These days we’d have to have an official release form signed by both parents and then notarized just to prevent lawsuits. There’s something to be said about the good old days.
July 14, 2009 at 9:19 am
JAMES
and even that would not hold up in an empathetic court!