How Did We Survive?

I was listening to an overnight talker on the way to work this morning, and he was talking about some of the toys we grew up with and, looking back, at how dangerous they were. It makes you wonder how we survived.

They talked about things like Lawn Darts, Slip N Slides and molds that you poured hot lead into to create toy soldiers. I remember something called Creepy Crawlers (I think), as you heated up the mold on the stove and squeezed liquid plastic from a bottle and heated the plastic to make bugs and spiders and such.

Then, there was the average school playground back in the day. There was metal and sharp corners everywhere. From the monkey bars to the slide to the teeter-totter to the merry-go-round. Of course, kids got hurt, but in those days, those bumps and bruises were a kind of badge of honor.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not against today's playgrounds, or wearing helmets and padding to ride a bike. But, if the purpose of all this is for our kids to never experience a scraped elbow or bruised knee, I got news for you. Even if you put kids in a suit of armor, they will find a way to get hurt.

That's just part of being a kid.