When we were kids
Our cots were covered with brightly coloured lead-based paint, which we chewed and licked
And we did not die
When we were kids
We didn't have childproof lids on medicine bottles, or special latches on doors or windows
And we did not die
When we were kids
When we rode our bikes, we didn't need to wear helmets or protective knee and elbow pads
And we did not die
When we were kids
We would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. We would even ride in the passenger seat
And we did not die
When we were kids
We drank water from the garden tap and from streams and not from bottle it tasted the same
And we did not die
When we were kids
We ate bread and dripping spotted dick for pudding and drank fizzy pop with sugar in it
And we did not die
When we were kids
We would share drinks among our friends from the same bottle or can without steralising it first
And we did not die
When we were kids
We made go-carts out of wood and old pram wheels then we would race down the steepest hill
And we did not die
When we were kids
Sometimes if we didn't have a go-cart we would race down hills on a tin lid or even a Tea tray
And we did not die
When we were kids
We sometimes fell out with each other and even got into fights punches were thrown and eyes blacked
But we did not die
When we were kids
We played football, cricket and street rounders and sometimes that ball really hurt you
But we did not die
When we were kids
In the summer holidays we would leave home after breakfast and only go home to have our tea
No one worried or minded
When we were kids
We sometimes we had accidents falling out of trees or just falling over and we got cut and bruised
And no one got sued
When we were kids
We played with catapults, spud guns and pea shooters and every autumn we played with conkers
But we did not die
When we were kids
We made up games with sticks and played at being Indians with spears and bows and arrows
We didn't poke our eyes out
When we were kids
We didn't have video games or multi channel Telly or Video and DVD's or personal computers
We had friends instead
When we were kids
Our parents didn't bail us out if we broke a law they sided with the police and we were punished
And oh yes we did not die
(This poem is based on an email that was doing the rounds a few years ago. To the best of my knowledge it was not credited to a particular writer but apologies if I got that wrong.)
