Mr T could not leave the house until every part of him had been bubble wrapped…it was a cruel world out there!
On the flipside however it did make me marvel that I have managed to make it to the ripe old of age of 30….something, having blown out a whole lot of candles (maths not my strong point)…., and being present at a whole lot of others’ candle blowings and survived! Yes! It’s true! I have survived, with all working limbs in tact, no scars and definitely no deadly diseases to speak of!
It’s certainly no reflection on parents and how little they cared about us, but more that I think the world was just less of a ‘precious’ place during my childhood and, as such, I am sure you will be able to nod your head in agreement at participating in at least one, if not more, of the following….(and surviving)…
- Going full pelt down a hill on your bike minus helmet and working brakes and praying that when you got to the intersection no cars were coming
- Playing ‘guess the food’ whilst blindfolding your opponent and proceeding to feed them soap, dishwasher liquid and SHOCK HORROR…Nuts!! (no one had heard of allergies back then!)
- Cuddling a random mangy – potentially rabid – dog whilst on holiday
- Eating your lunch without sanitising your hands (you were considered hygienic if you even managed to splash them under water!)
- Getting a ride on a motorbike up and down the street – once again minus helmet
- Sharing a drink with a friend (oh my!! The same straw and everything!)
- Sharing food with a friend (ohhh both of your unwashed hands at the same time – surely a recipe for death no?!)
- Competing in violent games such as British Bulldog (this has since been banned for fear of injury!?!)
- Doing handstands and cartwheels (yes we lived life on the edge back then!)….sometimes we did these on concrete too
- Balancing on a very high, very thin wall
- Playing on building sites when the workmen had gone home for the day
- Going to school with a deathly cold/flu as Mum couldn’t take time off work
- Jumping
- Running
- Skipping
And so the list could go on and on right?! Anyone?
I totally agree with you! I certainly did most of the things on the above list and have happily lived to tell the tale. I think we do live in a world that has gone a bit too far with things like this. It makes me disappointed that basic and innocent pleasures like blowing out candles on a cake or doing a cartwheel are being over analysed! We are going to create generations of people who are not able to deal with certain relatively harmless diseases like a common cold, and don’t understand how to relax and enjoy life without searching for the nearest safety device!
Thanks for visiting Zoe! And yes i certainly agree that we are in danger of breeding a germophobic generation!!!
Too right WYM. Its no small miracle that I survived into my 40s given my upbringing. I navigated such obstacles as outdoor dunnies without hand santiser and bindy filled fields without shoes. I also played on those old fashioned wooded planks that used to pass as see-saws. Amazing I did not drop dead of septicemia.
Hahah very true and very funny!