I read today an item about how little we had as children yet we all survived just fine. We were allowed unlimited amounts of sugar and thought that it just kept us fueled. What it did was to give us a lifetime of Diabetes. Even if we didn't gain the extra weight after we quit the fast pace of play, we were left to deal with the consequences later in life; often for the rest of our lives.

Our mothers may not have smoked cigarettes but if they did, we were probably born at a very low birth weight; doomed to a lifetime of problems. Mental and physical. And imagine the poor children whose mothers drank alcohol while pregnant. That was as bad as the weight loss prescriptions so mommy wouldn't be fat. 

There was no Ritalin when we were young, but there was Paregoric. (That's Opium) No prescription necessary and just pour enough down the kid and they'd be quiet and go to sleep when you want. An easy way to form a dependent type of person. 

Many a child was hurt or died from being unattended in their baby bed. There were no childproof caps and many a baby drank down a poison. That's why they were invented. Same with catches on cabinet doors. Have you known many kids who cracked their skulls when falling from a bike or skateboard? Some didn't ever recover. That is why wearing a helmet is a good thing. Fewer scrambled brains. Visit the State Hospitals and see the results. These inventions are for the better not just to hassle people who think them bad.

Before it was made illegal, riding in the back of a pickup truck killed many a little kid. That's why the laws were set up. Crowding too many people into the front of the truck is also against the law. When I was little in about 1955, my dad drilled holes in the framework of our old car and installed the seat belts he bought at the auto supply store. They weren't mandatory in cars but it was required that when we rode in the car, we wore the seat belt. No argument.

One item mentioned was how we drank water out of a water hose out in the yard. Have you read the warning on the water hoses now days? Danger, water will not be fit for consumption. Don't you dare drink out of a hose now. We know not to share drinks with even our best friends. The diseases are not intentional but will follow you to the death.

We went to the library every Saturday to return the books due back and check out another week's worth. I got an allowance but it was meager and books were very expensive. That allowance and what I earned babysitting had to buy my clothes and supplies. 

Sports in school was aimed at choosing the best. If you didn't have a parent to teach you the game, you were left out. Same with learning a musical instrument. If no one gave you lessons, you were not chosen or included. No chance for you kid.

Our generation has taken on great responsibility because our father decided we would not be sent to college and not even a trade school. We could start working at 12 and get our experience on our own. They received no inheritance to help their lives so they make sure there is nothing left to hand down to their own children. We did seek to give more to our kids than we had but it has not been easy. There are so many little kids now being raised by their grandparents because their parents lacked the necessary skills or desire.

In the days of long gone, you could set aside money and it would draw a nice return when left in the bank for a few years. Not anymore; the fees take up any gain and you'd owe them more money. The investments of the stock market are gone. An investment broker must get you to sign a legal document stating that you've been advised that you will have to pay any extra losses. And that means big money.

Our generation was often called the "Me First" age but we were not. I know of many parents who indulged their offspring. They created monsters that are still waiting around for their handouts. We had to work hard at our barely minimum wage job and pay a baby sitter that was not licensed and made nearly as much as we did. Government administrations have made it acceptable for big companies to spend all the retirement funds. There is nothing left but to hope that there will be a little Social Security left for us when we get there. We are the boomers but we did not ask to be born into such an overpopulated age. We don't want to take away from those already drawing Social Security but they are getting so much extra that they have plenty to give great gifts to those bums of children coming around with their hands out.