Original version found on the web, translated, and altered by me views and experiences.
To all of us who survived the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s:
We survived being born to mothers who smoked, had the occasional drink, popped aspirin, ate tuna straight from the can — and no one thought to test them for every possible risk.
We were laid to sleep on our stomachs in cribs painted with lead-heavy baby blue or pink paint.
There were no childproof lids on medicine, no locks on doors or windows, and when we rode bikes, there were no helmets!! Hitchhiking was normal, not reckless.
We rode in cars without booster seats, seat belts, or airbags.
We drank water straight from the garden hose, not from bottled water wrapped in three layers of plastic.
We shared sodas straight from the bottle — and no one collapsed from it.
We ate mom’s buns, white bread, real butter, too much sugar on cornflakes and yogurt.
Because:
WE WERE OUTSIDE ALL THE TIME!!!
We left the house in the morning, played all day, and came back when the streetlights turned on.
No one tracked us on GPS. No one could call us all day — AND WE SURVIVED.
We built soapbox cars from junk, crashed them into trees, learned the hard way about brakes, and fixed it ourselves.
We didn’t have PlayStations, iPads, Netflix, YouTube shorts, TikTok, Instagram, Discord servers, endless streaming, or AI chatbots.
We had FRIENDS — and we found them outside.
We fell from trees, cut ourselves, broke bones, knocked out teeth!! No lawsuits, no insurance claims.
We ate worms and mud pies. Spoiler: the worms didn’t keep crawling around in our stomachs.
At 10 we got BB guns, invented games with nothing but sticks and tennis balls — and despite the warnings, almost nobody lost an eye.
We biked or walked to our friends’ houses, rang the doorbell, or just showed up.
We wished for things — and we waited. Birthdays and Christmas were magic because the new bike, toy, or gadget didn’t just appear the moment we wanted it. We had to hope, save, wait, and sometimes be disappointed. That’s how we learned value.
Sports teams had tryouts, not everyone made it — and kids learned to deal with disappointment. Imagine that.
Our parents didn’t argue with teachers or police on our behalf. If we screwed up, they backed the law — not us.
That generation raised the biggest risk-takers, builders, and innovators.
The last 50 years exploded with new ideas and inventions because we had freedom, mistakes, victories, and responsibility. And we learned to carry all of it.
If you’re one of us:
CONGRATULATIONS!
Because look around:
Today’s kids expect everything to be perfect and served instantly. They don’t walk, they grab an e-scooter. They don’t wait, they tap and it’s delivered. They haven’t just lost risk and responsibility — they’ve even forgotten the joy of wishing and waiting.
To the rest:
You know exactly what I mean.