To those of us born 1925-1970s

A letter, as seen on The View:

"To all the kids who survived the 30's, '40's '50's, and '70's.  We survived being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant [not me, but others].  As infants and children we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seatbelts, no air bags, bald tires, and sometimes no brakes.  Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.  We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter, and bacon.  We drank Kool Aid made with real white sugar and we weren't overweight.  Why?  Because we were always outside playing.  We would leave home in the morning, play all day, as long as we were back when the street lights came on.  No one was able to reach us all day long and that was okay.  We did not have Play Stations, Nintindos, X-Boxes.  There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable.  No video movies or DVDs, no surround sound or CDs, no cell phones, no personal computers, no internet and no chat room.  We had friends, and we went outside and found them.  We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand.  And no one would call child services to report abuse.  Little League had try outs 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.  Actually, they sided with the law.  Theses generations have produced some of the best risks takers, problem solvers and inventors ever."

Amen, sister!  Whoever you are.  Those were the days.  Sure there are a lot of different risks today, but maybe some of those would have never become so prevalent if our standards and expectations for our children were higher.