E
ECA
Guest
If you lived as a child in the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's , looking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as we have...
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Our prams were covered with lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cupboards, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors. We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After careering off into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem. 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. No mobile phones. Unthinkable. We got cut and broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents? We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We ate patty cakes, bread and butter, and drank cordial, but we were never overweight...we were always outside playing. We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games, 65 channels on pay TV, video tape movies, surround sound, personal mobile phones, PC' s, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian - how did we do it? We made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever. Footy and netball had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment.....and not seek physchiatric counselling. Some students weren't as smart as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law - imagine that! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
Saw that today.
I kindof agree with the sentiments that attitudes have changed towards children but a lot of it is bollocks.
For a couple of summer holidays me and a m8 used to get on our bikes/skates and go to each others houses, go out at night at 3am and go down to the skatepark and kick off, we explored abandoned buildings, we got into fights with older kids, and most of the time got away due to being on bikes, instead of building carts we build pc's and fry ourselves or our pcs.
We got 2 old skies, nailed a pair of shoes onto them, and ski-ed down a huge dirt mound at the local building site.
We did all sorts of crazy shit.
So what if we had a playstation or whatever, that was for when we'd been outside all day playing and were knackered :-]
I think as society changes so do the events that form childrens opinions of the world.
I dont think they change a lot really, just the physical nature of it changes.
Oh and i've broken a finger, and my nose twice :-]
EDIT: oh and the first time i got drunk was 12/13, we broke into an abandoned pub and found a load of booze left in the cellar.
winnage :-]
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Our prams were covered with lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cupboards, and when we rode our bikes we had no helmets. We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. Horrors. We would spend hours building go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After careering off into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem. 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. No mobile phones. Unthinkable. We got cut and broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents? We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it. We ate patty cakes, bread and butter, and drank cordial, but we were never overweight...we were always outside playing. We shared one drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this. We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games, 65 channels on pay TV, video tape movies, surround sound, personal mobile phones, PC' s, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell, or just walked in and talked to them. Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian - how did we do it? We made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and ate worms, and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever. Footy and netball had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment.....and not seek physchiatric counselling. Some students weren't as smart as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade. Tests were not adjusted for any reason. Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law - imagine that! This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
Saw that today.
I kindof agree with the sentiments that attitudes have changed towards children but a lot of it is bollocks.
For a couple of summer holidays me and a m8 used to get on our bikes/skates and go to each others houses, go out at night at 3am and go down to the skatepark and kick off, we explored abandoned buildings, we got into fights with older kids, and most of the time got away due to being on bikes, instead of building carts we build pc's and fry ourselves or our pcs.
We got 2 old skies, nailed a pair of shoes onto them, and ski-ed down a huge dirt mound at the local building site.
We did all sorts of crazy shit.
So what if we had a playstation or whatever, that was for when we'd been outside all day playing and were knackered :-]
I think as society changes so do the events that form childrens opinions of the world.
I dont think they change a lot really, just the physical nature of it changes.
Oh and i've broken a finger, and my nose twice :-]
EDIT: oh and the first time i got drunk was 12/13, we broke into an abandoned pub and found a load of booze left in the cellar.
winnage :-]
