How did one survive growing up in the 80's and 90's?

The below write-up was e-mailed to me by one of my childhood friend. Thought of sharing with you all...
                                Cherish 'n' Enjoy!!!

We had no seatbelts, no airbags and sitting in the back of a truck was a treat… Our baby prams had the most gorgeous lead based colours… No such thing as tamper proof bottle tops… Opening kitchen cupboards was a breeze… as safety locks were unheard off… Cycling was like a breath of fresh air… No helmets, knee or elbow pads, with plenty of cardboards b/w the spokes to make it sound like a motorbike… When thirsty we drank whatever water we could get, bottled water was still a mystery… cold-drinks were treats We kept busy collecting bits & pieces so we could build all sort of things … boasted of our collections (marble, stamps, matchbox covers, cricketer cards) We were fearless on our bikes even when the brakes failed going downhill… we raced on the streets … we were the traffic We were showing off how tough we are, by how high we could climb trees & then jumping down….It was great fun…. We could stay out to play for hours, as long as we got back before dark, in time for dinner… We walked to school, or sometimes we even rode our bikes … we played in the rain, fought in the mud … built caves in the sand. We had no mobile phones, but we always managed to find each other…. How? No one knows… We lost teeth, broke arms & legs, we got cuts and bruises and bloody noses…. nobody complained as we had so much fun, it wasn't anybody's fault, only ours We ate everything in sight, cakes, bread, chocolate, ice-cream, sweet sugary drinks, yet, we stayed skinny by fooling around. And if one of us was lucky to find a 1 litre coca cola bottle we all had a swag from it & guess what? Nobody picked up any germs... We did not have Play Stations, MP3, Nintendo's, I-Pods, Video games, 99 Cable TV channels, DVD's, Home Cinema, Mobile phones, Home Computers, Laptops, Chat-rooms, Internet, etc ... BUT, we had REAL FRIENDS!!!! We called on friends to come out to play, never rang the doorbell, just went around the back… We loved being let loose in the big bad world…without bodyguards… We played with sticks and stones, played cowboys and Indians, doctors and nurses, hide and seek, soccer games, over and over again… When we failed our exams we were given a second chance by simply repeating the same grade…without visiting psychiatrists, psychologists or counselors… Such were the days…

Read and ask yourself How?

How summer holidays of loitering changed to summer activity camps, with time slots and course-mates
How the most unbearable punishment – ‘no play’ changed to being grounded, without any playground being involved
How inland letter and postcards from relatives changed to emails, with less mail & more fwds.
How trunk-call bookings changed to post 11pm STD family calls to just calls, with less ‘JLT’ calls
How the surprise of having somebody show up at the door changed to ‘call before you drop in’, with less show ups & more excuses How bragging about match-box / stamp collection changed to lifestyle flaunts, with less ‘uniques’ to showoff
How it changed from simple college life to strict professional life, with less life!
How pocket money changed to monthly paycheques, with less happiness
How a few local jeans changed to a branded wardrobe, with less occasions to wear them
How a bike always in reserve changed to a car always on & ready to go anywhere, with less places to go
How tea by roadside stalls changed to CCD, with the shop always seeming a bit far away
How waiting at designated places changed to frantic SMS / calls, with more worry bout finding a parking slot
How a limited prepaid card in mobile changed to a unlimited postpaid package, with less calls & more SMSes
How a general class journey changed to flight trips, with less vacations for enjoyment