How Did We Survive ?

How Did We Survive ?
How did we ever survive as a kid,
When you look at some of the things we did?
Were we made of tougher stuff than today ?
Or were we just allowed to play ?

We’d stay outside till it was dark
We’d ride bikes with no helmets
In the bush or to the park .
On swings ,see-saws and slides that were slippery
Before councils deemed them all too risky.
We’d swim in creeks or any water to be found ,
We’d have ball and none of us drowned .
Cowboys and Indians games were so good
We’d even made arrows out of real wood
We’d shoot each other and no-one did die
And we didn’t even lose an eye .
We’d build cubby houses in the trees ,
Sometimes we fell and skinned out knees.
We drank cordial and ate lollies
And we didn’t get fat ,
We were too busy running around for that .
There was no gluten , soy or dairy -free
Nobody seemed to have an allergy .
We walked to school and made it alive
Nobody ever had to drive
No carpool or drop off zones
No mums driving while using their phones .
Mum was at home working all day
Not at the gym or sipping a latte .
We showed respect for elders and didn’t talk back
If we did we’d get a damn good smack .
If fact the worst thing your parents could say
Was that you had to stay in your room for the day .
Now we buy computers and electronic toys
for all our little girls and boys
And wonder why they just want to hide
In the house and play all day ,
Is it a surprise they want to stay
In their room and never go outside ?

Julie Scott 2016