You are now 35 to 90 years old and you regularly tell yourself that you have not really lived the same childhood. Go back with us in all those memories that smell like caramels and neighborhood groceries.
In the past, there were many more trades, from the ice cream vendor to the washerwomen to the wood furniture manufacturers in the village .... The notion of time was different, far from the stress of life today. Let's take together the most memorable memories of these past years.
Congratulations to you for being alive!
First, you survived the birth of a mother who smoked and / or drank while they were carrying you. You took aspirin, ate blue cheese vinaigrette or tuna from a tin can. What health !
You have also survived all these baby beds covered with brightly colored lead-based paints. You did not have child-proof protections on medicine bottles, doors, cabinets, or outlets. When driving your bikes (a reward for good grades in school), you did not have a helmet, not to mention the risks you took when hitchhiking.
You drank water from the garden hose, not from the bottle. You shared a sparkling bottle with four friends and no one really died of it. You have eaten cakes, white bread and real butter. You drank lemonade bottled with sugar, but you were not overweight since you were always outside to play and build huts!
Bobos galore
Riding in the back of a van in bulk was always fun. You fell trees, skinned yourself, had broken bones, broke your teeth, and made pies with mud to play in the restaurant. You have invented games with sticks, balloons and lots of other things found here and there, but always with a lot of fun. You've cycled, you went to a friend's house and you knocked on the door or rang the bell or just shouted to call it! The local teams had their fan club that even traveled by bus to see them play in the neighboring villages. The mothers, sisters or women were more virulent than the brothers and fathers at the edge of the field and that's what made the magic of football.
Being outdoors, a real leitmotiv
You left the house in the morning and you played all day. At the time, you just had to be back before lighting the public lighting. Nobody tried to join you all day since there was no laptop. And you were fine. You spent hours building your carts from scratch and then down the street before you realized you had forgotten to put brakes on your coach. After a few blues and a passage in the garage of the corner or your grandfather, you had found a solution to your problem. You did not have a Playstation, Nintendo, X-box with video games. You did not have 99 TV channels, no videos, no surround sound, no mobile phone, no text messages, no computers, no online chat and no internet. You had real friends and you went out to find them.
Another notion of respect
You have learned to deal with disappointment. If the teacher said something or if you broke the rules, your parents would not take your defense. On the contrary! It was often the double punishment. This generation has produced some of the best risk takers, problem solvers and inventors! The last 70 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. There was freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and you grew up in this world.
What do you think ? The truth ? You may want to share this with others who have the chance to grow up in this kind of childhood, before lawyers and the government regulate our lives for our good. And while you're there, pass it on to your kids so they know how adventurous their parents are!
