I got this email the other day and I have been thinking about it non stop. It was about our childhood, what we did, the risks we took and the people we became.
We drank straight out of a garden hose when we were thirsty.
We played outside all day long until we were hungry, had to pee or the street lights came on.
I personally grew up in a 3rd generation neighborhood where everyone looked out for each other's homes.
You could walk up to a neighbors orange tree, pick a fresh orange, sit down in their grass, peel it and eat it right on the spot.
I have memories of laying on the dash above the backseat with my Dad driving the car.
I worked in the back yard as a little girl along side of my brothers with out a shirt on.
It didn’t matter if you had mismatched clothes on at school as long as you could play a mean game of 4 square.
We went to church every Sunday and were taught about the good LORD.
We memorized bible verses and went to vacation bible school as well as summer camp.
We camped in a tent in the forest with my entire family. We ate hot dogs grilled by the flame of the fire we built in the ground.
If you were new to a neighborhood you went out side to find friends to play with.
We had the beginnings of video games but we would much rather go outside to play.
We owned bicycles and had all the scrapes and bruises that childhood should and could provide without wearing pads or helmets.
We were taught that you didn't have to like and be friends to everyone but you had to be polite.
We were taught to be respectful and got a swat on the butt if we weren't.
Our friend didn't knock, they walked in, sat down and called our parents "Mom and Dad"
My brothers would protect me at no cost and if they didn't they would get a talking to from my Dad.
We believed in the 10 second rule.
We believed in try outs to play on a team and if you weren’t giving it your all, you got yelled at or kicked off the team.
In sports, not everyone was a winner.
It seems that the children we are raising today are going to terrified, sore losing, unmotivated, germaphobes. Think about it..... we give them bottled water, keep them inside because of stranger danger, we show them not to get involved in neighborly situations even if the guy next door left his garage door open all night. We strap um down, in and wrap them in all kids of protective garb. We buy them expensive, trendy clothes just to “fit in”. We have left out GOD in their upbringing due to OUR busy lives. We take them on vacations to stay in hotels, yell at each other and pretend to spend those few days as a “family”. We give them all the expensive gadgets like video games, cell phones and movies to keep them occupied. We slather them in antibacterial gel, and of course let everyone play on the team and give them a trophy at the end.
I am just as guilty as the next person but I can't help but stop and think how all of these simple things will change the outcome of their futures. Where did our simple upbringings go and how did we let them change when it came to just one generation after ours?
Makes me think about making a few changes in my home.........life and love is what you teach them after all.
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