If you are a Nigerian born between 1930-1980: Congratulations To Those of us Born 1930-1980

If you are a Nigerian born between 1930-1980 Congratulations To Those of us Born 1930-1980 No matter what the new Nigerian generation thinks about us, WE ARE AWESOME!!!! OUR LIFE IS LIVING PROOF !!!! Our Nigerian mothers took aspirin, ate garri and fufu, geisha from a can and didn't get tested fordiabetes.Then we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs coveredwith bright colored lead-base paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes,we hadno helmets on our heads. As infants & children, we would ride in family cars with no car seats, nobooster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, no shock absorber, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.We drank water from the mouth of public taps and not from a bottle. We shared one bottle of coke with four friends and no one actually died from this.  (We also learnt the virtue of sharing which seems to be going extinct right now) We ate cake made with Fat and Agege bread, with real butter. We drank TreeTop made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight.  WHY?Because we were always outside playing....that' s why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the evening lights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. We had no mobile phones. And, we were OKAY!!(Those were peacefull days!) We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's,no surround-sound or CD's,  no cell phones,no personal computers,no Internet and no chat rooms.WE ONLY HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them there! (where we could actually verify who they were unlike the case with the internet) We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.(These accidents actually made us strong)  We would get spankings with belts, roots, twigs, or just the raw bare hand with five fingers and no one would call child services to report abuse. (OMG, those spankings have made us what we are today, with a healthy respect for authority) We ate crickets, bush rats, grass cutters, squirrels and those insects that come after the rains . Mama always knew how to deal with them with a nice cup of Phillip Milk of Magnesia. We wore Bata shoes. We made up our games with sticks, scraps and pebbles or just the bare sand. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them, shared their lunch or their mama would prepare our lunch. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! And will even punish us for breaking the law. (I shudder to think what my father would have said if I had even suggested that he gives me money to pay for scores, what?) These generations have produced some of the bestrisk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.  The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. What can kids today do besides push buttons. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with them all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!   You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up in this generation. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were. It's nice to know that God was watching over us.