TO ALL
THE KIDS 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.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs
covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
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 too k
hitchhiking.
As infants &children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster
seats, seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO
ONE
actually died from this.
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!
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. And still we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down
the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes After running into the
bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Playstation's, 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 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 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, made up games with sticks and
tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not poke 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!
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!
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 .
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?!
The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:
'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding,
severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and
with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a
good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'
$20.00
Sometimes we just need to be
reminded!
A well-known speaker
started off his seminar by:
holding up a $20.00
bill In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this
$20 bill?"
Hands started going up.
He said, "I am going to give this
$20 to one of you
but first, let me
do this.
He proceeded to crumple up the $20 dollar bill
.
He then asked, "Who
still wants it?"
Still the hands
were up in the air.
Well, he
replied, "What if I do this?"
And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with
his shoe.
He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.
"Now, who still wants it?"
Still the hands went into the air.
My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson.
No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it
because it did not decrease in value.
It was still worth $20.
Many times in our lives,
we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt
by the decisions we make and
the circumstances that come
our way.
We feel as though we are worthless.
But no matter what has
happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.
Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased,
you are still
priceless to those who DO LOVE you.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know,
but by WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.
You are special
-
Don't EVER forget it."
Top 15 ways to tell it's a
PUERTO RICAN birthday party:
1. Some of the guests didn't bring a
gift - but brought extra
uninvited kids.
2. The party is separated into women
cooking, men drinking,
and kids playing.
3. The party is at Chuck E. Cheese but
they brought their own food and cake.
4. It's a child's party, but there are
more grown ups than
children.
5. It's Papote's 1st birthday and the
party food is arroz con gandules, lechon asado and 10 cases of beer.
6. For entertainment, instead of
playing pin the tail on the
donkey, there is usually a televised baseball game, a game of dominos or a
live fight.
7. The party was supposed to be over at
5pm, but its 7:30pm
and the party is just starting.
8. The host calls someone who's on
their way and tells them to stop and get some more liquor and ice.
9. You hear someone go up to the
birthday child and say,
Mira, que lindo. I'm going to have to get you
something next week when I get paid."
10. The party is Saturday, and you get
a call from the hostess Friday saying,"I'm giving Papote a birthday part
tomorrow at 3pm "
11. Some guest bring gifts that are
still in the Wal-Mart bag.
12. The cake didn't come from the store; it came from the
mother of the comadre of your best friend's sister who
makes really good cakes.
13. You are told you have to save your
plate and fork you ate your food with, so you can eat your cake.
14. Guests automatically wrap up a
plate of food and cake to take home.
15. It's Papote's birthday, but since
his cousin Maria is there and her birthday is in a few days, it becomes
Papote's
and Maria's party.