Saturday, May 12, 2007

Happy Mother's Day, Mom (Wherever You Are!)



Here it is Mother's Day and we're not exactly sure where Mom is. We're pretty sure she's having fun, however.





A few weeks ago, Mom and her husband Jim left on one of their periodic adventures, taking the RV all over the country with a rather vague itinerary. They're travelling with another couple (in their own RV) and last we heard they'd made it out to Oregon and were thinking maybe at some point they'd have to turn back east. (The photos here are from their trip, sent out when they get a good wireless computer signal.) But there's no hurry!



[Mom always could read minds--right after we drafted this last night, we got an email from Mom--they've made the turn, heading back home, with a recent pass through Vegas, and should be home in another week or so.]





Mom, of course, was one of first regular readers, and still is. Occasionally, she'll leave a comment under the moniker "Library Lady"--that's what the kids at Hand Middle School in Columbia, SC called her over the many years she was the head librarian there.



Recently, Mom read our post comparing the violence today's kids are exposed to in the media--post Virginia Tech massacre--to the violence our generation faced (Vietnam, Civil Rights marches, protests, campus shootings, assassinations, etc.). She said it sparked a lively discussion around their campfire one night.



Mom then sent me one of those email strings you've probably all seen before, but a good one worth continuing to spread around. Since it's Mother's Day and since Mom sent it to me, and since it's a good one, we thought we'd post it here, below in blue.










Meantime, Mom: Happy Mother's Day, wherever you are!!




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 took 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 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 Playstations, 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 put 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?"

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