How did I survive childhood?

Now I know at times I can be a bit harsh on youth today. With all of this technology they have gone soft, but when reading ABCNews.com today, I began to wonder ... How did I ever survive childhood? This is what prompted by inquiry ...

Dangerous Lead Levels Found in Some Garden Hoses
July 12, 2007 — It's about as uncomplicated as it gets –– rip off the package, screw the fitting onto a spigot and your new garden hose is good to go.
At least that's what Louise Broyles thought.
"There was no reason to think it wouldn't be safe," Broyles said. "It's a garden hose so why wouldn't it be safe?"
But on the packaging of the garden hose was a tiny warning that said, "Do not drink out of this product," and, "This product contains chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer, birth defects and/or reproductive harm."
It turns out some garden hoses may contain dangerous levels of lead.
In a test, reporters from ABC's Phoenix affiliate KNXV-TV bought 10 garden hoses randomly at places like Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target and Ace Hardware.
They filled sections of the hoses with clean water, sealed the ends and put them outside for about a day. Then they delivered that water to a lab.
Five of the 10 hoses came back with levels of lead higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency allows for drinking water: 15 parts per billion. Four of those came back with extremely high lead levels.

(To read the rest of the article click here.)

Now that I look back I wonder if I should worry. As I child I did many things that now cause concern ... not just physically but psychologically too:

–– I drank from water hoses in the yard ... as long as I let the hot water run out I thought it was fine
–– I ran with scissors ... as long as I wasn't running a marathon with a crowd of people, I thought it would be o.k. to jog from the craft cabinet to the table
–– I slept in a room with lead based paint on the wall ... as long as I didn't write on the walls my parents weren't concerned
–– When I tried out for sports there was a chance I would NOT make the team ... I just tried something else until I found something I was good at
–– Only the winners got trophies –– If you didn't win you just tried harder next time, doing you best was what counted
–– I spent hours in the sun without sunscreen ... I lived on a farm, the sun meant "get your lazy ass up and milk the cows", at that point we were awake so we might as well get busy with the garden and feeding the chickens
–– My parents left us unattended ... I was one of 12 kids, my parents locked us out of the house just to regain their sanity. As long as we didn't start up the hay baler there was little danger. That's what the older siblings were for, they cared for the younger ones, thus learning responsibility.
–– I played with an ax ... I really did. My siblings and I built a log cabin in our back yard with trees from the wooded acres. We had the foresight to make it too short to be comfortable for adults ... at least that thought will comfort me when I am bed ridden. We also made out own bows and arrows so we could torture each other. That might leave so psychological issues to be dealt with in the future.
–– I had to do manual labor ... again, I lived on a farm and trust me cows don't milk themselves (although a dog will lick himself!)
–– I drank unprocessed milk and natural foods ... I guess that is what kept us alive seeing how all the fertilizers and stuff are causing cancer ... I often ate it without washing it though, does that cancel out the good!?!
–– I stuck a penny in a light socket ... well to my credit I was 3 and only did it once. We didn't have cabinet locks or electric socket covers. We learned our lessons through trial and error (or from a unfortunate older sibling.)
–– I had to take all of my school books home at night and back to school in the morning ... I'm not suffering any back problems but maybe I should note it for a later date.
–– We were spanked ... I know, the horrors. Although I don't have children and refuse to form an opinion on this until I am faced with an unruly tot of my own, I don't think there are many lingering issue, physically or psychologically. Although the threat of being sent to break off a twig does tend to give me chills.
–– We were told "no" ... again, how did I survive. My parent's didn't negotiate. With 12 of us they'd never win.
–– There were only two dinner choices: Take it or leave it! ... I only walked away from the table once. To my vegetarian friends, sorry, but if it comes to Bambi or going to bed with a growling stomach ... well do I have to say it!?!

Oh, the list goes on. It could be all in my head, but I think I am starting to feel some of the ill effects of my childhood errors now. It's a wonder I made it this far. Maybe they should test my blood for some sort of gene alteration that allowed me to make it nearly 30 years with this kind of history. I could be the cure for cancer ... at the very least a medical marvel!