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I've given this a lot of thought and I've come to the conclusion that society is headed downhill fast because kids seem to think that they're immortal.

Think about it...the crazy videos on YouTube where they pull stunts that should kill or severely injure them...things like that.

I was taught to be afraid. It didn't help that both of my parents had a background in emergency medicine (mom was an EMT and dad was a Paramedic) so I got gory stories to go along with the fear.

1) You did NOT play on escalators. You checked your shoes and pants before even standing near it. Why? You would get sucked in and die If your pants were too baggy the escalator would grab on to it and take your leg off. Be careful where you put your hands...the thing would eat them.

2) You didn't ride in the bed of trucks. Why? Because you would fall out and crack your head on the pavement no matter how "safe" you thought you were being. I heard story after story of my parents getting to a scene where a kid had been riding in the bed of a truck and fallen out. This fear persisted for YEARS and I was uncomfortable about riding in the back of trucks even in college.

3) You didn't wander off in public. Why? Someone would take you and you'd never see your family again and your parents would be heartbroken. My mom had grown her hair out to her ankles and wore it in a long braid most of the time. I was expected to hold on to that braid AT ALL TIMES when we were out. Later, when my brother was born, it was pigtail braids that we could each hang on. I was never one of those kids that ran off and annoyed customers.

4) You didn't play in the street. Why? A car would swerve and hit you Hell, I had a cousin tell me not to play near the SIDEWALK because a car could jump the curb and hit me anyway. If the yard wasn't fenced in I didn't step off of the grass. I was terrified that I would get hit by a car. It wouldn't be an accident either...that same cousin told me that some people LIKED to swerve and hit kids and that's why I had to be careful.

5) You didn't put things in your mouth that mom didn't give to you herself (or other trusted adult) Why? It was poison and would kill you My parents had their own janitorial business when I was a kid. So I was around toxic chemicals on a daily basis. Never once did I attempt to drink it or put random things in my mouth. My parents instilled that healthy fear that it would poison and kill me.

6) You didn't talk on the phone during a thunderstorm. Because lightning will strike

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