TO CELEBRATE ALL THE KIDS FROM HAMILTON 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.  Some of us inhaled second hand smoke in Swigs Tavern from the time we old enough to be able to stand up and no one was concerned bout it.

Then after all that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs and feather blankets covered with bright colored lead-based paints.  Plenty of real butter lay in a bowl on the kitchen table and our Grandparents
spread it on everything throughout their golden years.  Oh yeah, and don't forget the big can of Crisco Lard that graced every woman's kitchen.

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.  If we did come down with the occasional croup, and didn't feel like venturing out of the house, old Doc Kappy would come by on house call with his black bag of miracles.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.  Smelling fresh sprayed paint in the back of Ketcham's IH dealership was a daily treat.  If'n you were lucky, you could get a ride around the block on one of those big old tractors, with everyone waving at you, instead of trying to wave you off of it.  

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.  Sometimes a big gulp of Mississippi river water went down without a moment's harm.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.  Some of us got a multitude of bee stings down at Dadants; 'cept for Andy, we all fared pretty well.

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 !  

 

Running from Jack Keller and his BB gun,

Running to avoid being run over by Earl, Roger or Mike on their Cushmans. 

Running from Raymond Sells  or Paul Von as they'd chase you off the porch of their stores.   Running around the bandstand parked in the middle of Broadway on Saturday night while Calvin Shanks readied the band for a one hour concert.  

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back by time the streetlights came on nobody gave a fig. No one was able to reach us all day.  Even super sleuth Pig Deweese couldn't find us. 
And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down Main Street hill only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes or Tommy's driveway 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 could see War of the Worlds at Francis David's moviehouse for 15 cents plus 3 cents tax.   A nickel would buy you a huge candy bar.  Hell, Francis would even walk you home if you were scared.

 

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 slid down the fire escape at grade school when no one was looking and had a ball.  We would practice hiding under our desks during Air Raid pretends, might even consider buying one of Estabrook's Famous bomb shelters, which usually wound up storing grandmas jams and juices.

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,   Swig would fire off his shotgun in the middle of Broadway at midnight on fourth of July. Or he'd pop it off any old day of the week when he saw some creep sneaking around in the alley.

 

We 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!

My phone number was easy to remember, it was  "Blue 54" and the old operator in the office on the alley between the bank and the church would connect us. We got a little additional arm exercise by cranking the generator on the wall phone.

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! 

You could even get a summer job down at Dadant's for $1.18 per hour, then fill your tank for not much more than the price of one gallon today. 

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 them . . . CONGRATULATIONS!

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.  And 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?!