We made it through because we started actually living from the time we learned to walk. Our parents gave us the gift of
accumulating our own personal experiences rather than sitting us in front of a mind sucking video game to keep us quiet.
We didn't live through the false experiences of others on the web or on TV. We went outside and gathered information through
tactile input.
Dad gave me a gun when I was 9 years old. Not an air gun, a .22 LR. Couple years later got a small bore shotgun. He, and
all the other dads around taught us how to use them properly, and sent us on our way. Our moms told us to be careful, and
then said "bring back a couple of rabbits" as we tromped out into the fields like a small army of pre-teens. Bicycles and trees
were a bigger danger to us than the firearms. We fell out of trees and broke our arms. We crashed our bikes and came home
with bloody knees and elbows. We spend hours out in the sticks or in a neighborhood garage learning things. We always came
home for supper and the folks were never worried.
We went to the movies about three times a year, and after we finally got a TV were allowed to watch it only one hour per night,
'cause mom was sure it would ruin our eyes. When mom said "clean your room" we did it, and when dad said "you wanna
go with me to the dump?", we knew we were in for a fun time.
I only ever knew two kids who got killed. They got stuck in an old refrigerator. No one got run over by a car, or shot, or drowned
or fell while running with scissors.
I'm from the 50's. I wish I could do it over again. I'd do it exactly the same. Man, it was fun.