Drinking from the garden hose?

[Monica]

So... I'm confused about something and thought I'd see what others thought about this, and since I know there are wise minds here as well as FB. There's been a big to-do recently around social media about the fact that Gen X (and others, yes) drank water from garden hoses. Yes, the posters are all likely under 30, possibly mostly under 25. My question for you all: Why exactly was this horrible? The hose was convenient and it complied with the "Go play outside" directive from Mom. I don't see the horror of this. Anyone?

[pugmom]

Well, I'm not sure what the kerfuffle is about. I'm a Baby Boomer and drank from the garden hose all summer long. If you needed a drink while playing outside, that's just what you did. My kids are Millenials and I'm sure they did the same thing.

Yes, bugs could crawl up in the hose. Yes, there could be bacteria growing in the hose, but I'm still here to talk about it. Hey, we did A LOT of things that were a LOT worse.

[Monica]

Isn't it funny how things that were done when we were kids are just looked at like they were the worst thing nowadays? I was thinking about that after I posted this last night. Like, my bikes all had those metal teeth on the pedals, and no one who rode one regularly escaped having at least one scar from them. And when we scraped a knee? washed it off with the same hose and carried on playing. Go play outside meant using a watch to keep track of how long we were gone and when we had to be home (country kid). Plastics being used for everything (aside from things like Tupperware or coolers) really only started in my teens.

[EDelValle]

Heck! I played on the railroad tracks that
went past my grams garden gate. When I
was very young the outhouse was on the other side
of the tracks hopefully when a train was coming
you didn't have to go really, cross your legs, bad.
So... most of the time we played on the field side of the
tracks instead of the house side.

[Monica]

Did you ever put pennies on the track to flatten them? A college friend swore they made the best guitar picks.

[jmp1022]

I drank out of a hose too.
I don't know what is wrong with the people now adays.
Is it drugs?

[Monica]

Too much trying to prevent anything from harming to the point that there's no chance to just be a kid and live. No exploring, no adventure, and absolutely no common sense.

[pbp908]

I rode a bike without shin guards, a helmet, and whatever else they're slapping on kids now. The only seatbelt I had was my big sister's arm flung across me when she braked. I rode in the back of my BIL's old Ford truck. Never had an urge to jump out or hang over the side. Drank water from a lot of places. I survived.

I think the problem now is two fold - helicopter parents who believe everything they hear, see and read, and lack of common sense. What happened to thinking for yourself?? Did critical thinking expire?? All I can say is Dr. Whatshisname didn't do us any favors. I think his name was Dr. Spock, not to be confused with Mr. Spock.

We had enough brains to know that if you fell from a cliff, you didn't make a huge indentation in the dirt before you got up and chased that bird again. (Meep meep!) We knew that if someone was shot, it was not good and they weren't going to reappear with a reset. We knew that Superman wasn't real and if we tried jumping off of our house we would NOT fly. (No matter how hard we were flapping our arms!) We knew that if we didn't show up for dinner when we were called to come, well, little stomachs can make big growls.

We knew better. We weren't coddled from cradle to adulthood. We were taught that every action had consequences, either stemming from our parents or a higher power.

It took with most of us. Those who didn't get it?? I think they call the girls "Karen." Not sure what they call the guys because there are a lot of them, mostly clumped in Washington.

Common sense. It still sticks it's head up for air occasionally, but it's getting harder and harder to find.

[Monica]

I Was going to ask "State or DC?" then I realized the answer was YES!

[wannabescrappin]

I Was going to ask "State or DC?" then I realized the answer was YES!

Love it, Monica!

Give me a garden hose and my well water any day. Helmets and knee pads?? I can't remember how many times my brothers carried me home after I crashed my bike (maybe that's why I can't remember?)