GenX Safety Devices

[@JohnDoe-hu9ve]

The Gen X motto: If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough...

[@kitsunelee007]

....and be quick. Reflexes can save you from pain....I said CAN not definitely will.

[@thedarcbird]

I thought it was "Fuck around and find out."

[@dreadcthulhu5]

That's why we say stupidity should be painful nowadays. If it were these young kids would learn.

[@edomarpez1840]

@@thedarcbird we had more than 1

[@taralepine4977]

@@thedarcbird We have TWO mottos.

[@TheProjectHelpDesk]

My neighbor and I were talking in his backyard and his son started doing something stupid. We both stopped and just stared at him waiting for 'it' to happen. 'It' did. When the son stopped crying, his father said "I bet you won't do that again will you?" We knew that 'it' wouldn't leave permanent damage. So like all X'ers we let 'Life' teach the lesson.

[@NullaNulla]

Sounds like the lessons I had growing up and transferred to my own kids. I dare say the way he talks that if the eldest ever finds a woman that'll put up with him that he will be much the same.

[@RBickersjr]

It's a completely valid way to teach a child as long as you follow your extremely important caveat, it won't leave permanent damage.

[@tomschonborg439]

I can't tell you how many times I've "supervised" a child I was raising (I've had to raise other family member's children too) and so long as I knew it wouldn't lead to a trip to the emergency room, I would let them do dumb thing and find out. This is pretty standard Gen X parenting and the lessons will not be forgotten. I know the Millenials are now horrified and are saying this is why they need so much mental health counseling.

[@waynesummerville7231]

Millennials favorite word I know I know

[@theecentralscrutinizer9978]

No....... Wait........... Stop...........

[@MiddleOutdoorsman]

I remember a classic Jeff Foxworthy line, "Oh you wanna stick a penny in a light socket? Go ahead and try that out. Ohhh hurt like hell didn't it? Don't do that no more...."

[@NullaNulla]

Err ... many times in fuses, light sockets etc had fingers belt by 240. We couldn't afford a sparky so I still had to repair crap the next time each time. Now is a tad different. We used to fuck with electric fences a lot though.

[@user-wm3bf7pi3u]

My grandma didn't understand why we had covers over the plug sockets near the floor, "Take those things out, these kids need to LURN!"

[@radiationraven]

It’s our generation that caused the “warning label” outbreak in the first place. Good times man. Good times.

[@dgoodwin619]

Nah, our parents wanted the warning label, we just wanted to play

[@user-rt7yp3zb1h]

😂😂😂 funniest fact ive seen all day.

[@user-rt7yp3zb1h]

Shoutout to whoever put thier baby in the washing machine. 😂

[@dshepherd107]

Wasn’t that cause championed by Al Gore’s wife at he time?

[@user-wm3bf7pi3u]

Who else remembers "Mr. Yuck Mouth"??? Who needs child proof caps for yummy yummy cleaning supplies, just slap a sticker on it with a smiley face that looks sick 😝 that but green.

[@mommamak6164]

Okay fellow Gen X'ers.... I'm interested in your opinion about a parental teaching moment that my hubby and I had with our daughter over 10 years ago when she was in middle school. Our girl loved playing soccer and was interested in being a goalie, which had been my favorite position as a kid. The problem was that our girl was afraid of getting hit by the ball when it was kicked at her, which just wouldn't work as a goalie. So my hubby and I came up with a brilliant solution - kick the ball at her so she can see that it doesn't hurt most of the time and it will help get over the irrational fear, leaving only a true fear that can be managed strategically. Problem was that she was afraid and wouldn't stay still, so we tied her to a tree in the back yard (with her permission of course) and lobbed balls at her until we were all laughing and having a great time. And she became a great goalie! So did we nail the Gen X parenting or what? 😁😂

[@notright7]

Yup, you and your husband did good. All parties involved were okay with what happened, and no one got hurt. She was to nerves to stand still, so you thought of another way to do it.

[@patriotfett]

Nailed it

[@mstb2023]

HILARIOUS!!! Love it!😂😂😂

[@Andres0082]

As a GenXer I salute you

[@johncox2912]

LMFAO!! Gen X Parenting at it's best. I can't wait to hear about the next lesson.

[@dracosdiabolis1769]

Remeber kids. Pain is your friend. Pain let's you know your still alive. Pain is the wisest friend I know. You can learn alot from Pain.

[@lunarbeauty]

Ah now I know you are a fellow gen xer.

[@dracosdiabolis1769]

@@lunarbeauty 47 years runnin'. Yessir

[@lunarbeauty]

@@dracosdiabolis1769 How did you manage to stay alive when you just piled into the back of a pickup and just fly down the highway and when you were in the car with no seat belt laws?

[@dracosdiabolis1769]

@@lunarbeauty Goonies dear. The Goonies. We never say die.

[@darcychurch9749]

@@lunarbeauty Yup, never did that, even in the military…

[@KingofKarnies]

I always told My kids. "If You hurt yourself doing what I know you're thinking about doing, I'll point and laugh at You". And I would for a good minute. Don't worry I'm a former Paramedic, I know the difference between serious and non serious injuries.

[@marcusdire8057]

Are we the "Fuck around and find out" generation!? Previous generations have done this as a group effort (I'm looking at you WWII). Subsequent generations don't seem to have much, if any, defining trait, one way or another here. But EVERY Gen Xer I know or, have heard of, not only takes "Fuck around and find out" on a personal level, but takes great joy in enacting such. So much so, that we will go out of our way to engineer scenarios just so we can do so (aka "Teachable moments").

[@leedouglass9636]

Yes we are

[@elizabethannbender1735]

💯 👍 That's us all day everyday ! Must be how I became so passive aggressive.

[@BrettHondow]

I approve this comment 100%!

[@caseyj779]

This reminds me of my gen x brother. He is 12 years older then me. I was born in '86 he was born in '74. He told me to stick my tongue to both sides of a 9 volt battery among many other things when I was little. Never anything that would actually hurt me of course. He was like a 3rd parent to me. Our parents worked all the time and he helped raise me. We still tease and joke and mess with each other to this day. It probably could sound like we don't like each other to outsiders but let someone else try to hurt either of us and we would be there for each other in a heartbeat.

[@kelvincrabtree1062]

A 9 volt!? Pshh... my cousins dared me to pee on an electric fence. Wish it had been a 9 volt. 😅

[@mattbrown5511]

You're not on bad terms until one, or both, of you end up in the hospital. me and my brothers knew the ER nurses by first names.

[@fjb4932]

"If a cat sits on a hot stove, that cat won't sit on a hot stove again. That cat won't sit on a cold stove either." Mark Twain ☆

[@arcanewyrm6295]

I approve.

[@TheSupernaturalWolf41]

Pain breeds discipline. I was taught this seemingly before I could walk. 😂

[@heathergarrison494]

My favorite was "play stupid games, win stupid prizes". Lol

[@lowkey1969]

Our philosophy has always been, "Take all the rope you like, but don't come bitching to me if you hang yourself with it."

[@RainbowDaffodil]

This is usually followed by the question "Did ya learn somethin'?" 😂

[@Hermit_of_the_Holler]

Hey Son...go ahead and hold that sparkplug while I pull the starter cord....yup...he got me with that one. Never did it again

[@DrBoom88]

My dad used to do that to us all the time to test lawn mowers. We only feel for it once. After that, we tried to get him to switch roles (have him hold it while we tried to pull the starter cord).

[@kevinclark6438]

I've heard the story more than once about the time my mom cut a cord off of a box fan, and saved it in case she needed to put a new cord on something later. The problem was, she left it where her then young child, me, could get ahold of it. Next thing she knew, she was walking into the living room to see sparks flying everywhere because I'd plugged it in. We had absolutely no safety devices that I was ever aware of. It was live or die, according to what you did.

[@kelvincrabtree1062]

And then she promptly whooped your ass with said electric cord. Cause for us Gen X'ers there is one thing guaranteed, we'd get into shit, and our parents were inventive on how to discipline us with said shit. Mess around to long with your toys, hey some of them make great switches.

[@kevinclark6438]

@kelvincrabtree1062 thanks to one of my aunts suggesting it, I got hot wheels race tracks. How something so flimsy can hurt so bad is beyond me. Nothing like making getting them as a gift a mixed blessing, to say the least.

[@dragonmakr2159]

You know, I’ve always felt that stupidity should be painful. Never realized it was because I’m GenX. 🎶The more you know🎶

[@hellothere8811]

I like to say that stupidity is its own reward-as it should be

[@johnyoung5820]

You, sir, are my spirit animal. As a fellow Gen X dadbod veteran, we travel down the same road of life, perplexed, dispirited, and occasionally enraged by our millennial and Gen Z progeny due to their timidity, lack of common sense, and whiny sense of entitlement. But fear not, fellow traveler, for some of us have seeded the gene pool with a new subvariant of Gen Z--Gen R(esistance). Gen R has been raised with the same ethos as Gen X--live free, embrace risk, and learn to rub some dirt in it when you get a booboo. Gen R looks upon contemporary Gen Zers with a healthy skepticism, unimpressed by their "soft like pudding" peers. While soft times make weak men, and weak men make hard times, Gen R will rise to the occasion and lead humanity out of the idiocratic morass! 😉

[@billbammerlin4666]

We can only hope

[@donnakennell5111]

❤❤❤❤

[@daineminton9687]

Dear gods, I see Titus's dad with a shit eatin grin saying, "Wait, he'll learn something important". lmafo😂

[@Elliephantasm]

That was an awesome show 😂

[@JascDark]

only an Xer would watch the guy slip, hear the scream and laugh like Beavis and Butthead

[@WolfsHaven]

You say that like it's a bad thing.

[@kimberlykovach6236]

Damn right!

[@mattbrown5511]

Social pressuring in the real world. Physical pain is not the only pain that teaches one from doing stupid shit.

[@Missunderstood103]

You know that GenX childhood quote:"Don't play with fire because you might get in trouble for burning your parents house down."

[@SeaSkorpion]

Funny story, in 1975 (Gen X model 1971 here) I decided that my plastic car was crashed, and therefore needed to catch on fire. After all, I'd seen it on TV! Soooo I meticulously entered the kitchen, retrieved the A-frame wooden ladder, set it up, walked across two countertops and the stove, collected the little dispenser box of matches off the wall, retraced my route, reentered my bedroom, and promptly melted that sucker to the wall! My mom was in the living room, clueless, until she smelt burning plastic and the smoke detector went off. I was of course 4 years old. Consequently I got yelled at for it when we moved out of the house, at age 18, because I was dumb enough to ask what the black spot on my bedroom wall was behind my bed.

[@dianemuhs1105]

Stupidity should be painful but not fatal. This is the motto I have evolved from my 26years of teaching high school. Retirement has freed me to share this.

[@AgentPepsi1]

"... the next time you do something somewhat questionable, it will come with a little bit of pain..." 😂😂😂🤣😂🤣😂

[@kristenfrancis5381]

I admit I laughed way too hard at this 😂

[@wesdavis6942]

trauma, repetition, and traumatic repetition........ the 3 ways a gen Xer learns...

[@mattbrown5511]

Traumatic repetition is usually visited upon others. At least, in my case.

[@mwfmtnman]

Get rid of all those child safety warnings and call those items Darwin checks lol

[@erinhutson5548]

Ahhh yes. The “Hurts, don’t it “ parenting style! Good thing emergency room visits were cheaper back in the day! 😅

[@josephlalonde3004]

The advantage to living in a country with free hospital visits and doctor visits. So the "hurts, don't it" style still works.

[@edstringer1138]

My parents you better be dying to go to the hospital,,, I had wounds super glued ,, When I saw Glue comeback for surgeries I laughed

[@PeaceJourney...]

We didn't get to go to the emergency room unless we stopped breathing more than 5 minutes, had bones sticking out or we were dripping blood on the shag carpet 😂

[@robertgibbs6154]

You got to go to the emergency room? I got mercurachrome, a bandaid and a kick in the pants for getting hurt and having to use the precious mercurachrome.

[@markinator8826]

Flyin down the road on top of a car while swerving trying to throw me off now that was livin boy...on the edge of dyin' smiling the whole time!! Do you wanna live forever?

[@patriotfett]

Nope I am not over here shopping for tasers or cattleprods to secure Christmas cookies after seeing this

[@PeaceJourney...]

😏 nope, not a bit...!😂

[@heathergarrison494]

In the winter time my dad would tie a really long rope from the back of his truck. Us kids would use whatever as a sled, and my dad would drive fast in the field, dragging us on the sled. Man it was a blast. Now that would be child endangerment. We Gen Xers knew how to have fun. Despite the danger.

[@1kewlglamma]

The danger was the best part of the fun...

[@ComputerGarageLLC]

like the one vid you have where a mom has a hot pot off the stove and the son keeps trying to grab it from the bottom, and she keeps saying IT'S HOT. You know us Gen X'er, after the 2nd time of telling him, IT'S HOT, we would have just let him grab the pot from the bottom and learn a lesson. Now our bommer parents, they would just let you put the butter knife into the wall outlet -- no warning. Ask my sister.

[@karinhart4109]

Whereas my dad, born in the depression, saw me reaching for the wall outlet....and went, "BZZZZZZZZZTT!!" 😂

[@morghan_]

My SIL told me that my 3 yo nephew got stung when he was trying to keep bees away from fake flowers and my first thought was, now he knows to leave bees alone 😂

[@gregorykiernan7849]

Remember when "Jackass" was a popular TV show... WE lived it!

[@michaeltriptow6877]

I remember Green Mister Yuck Stickers. But that hand popping off is freaking funny!

[@badgerius1]

It is for this reason that my baby gate was on the fifth step, not the bottom of the stairs.

[@jacobforrester9827]

😂 why am I laughing at this like an unhinged lunatic? I think this hilarious, yet I feel accused somehow, even though I didn't do this. 🤣

[@WolfsHaven]

Quite frankly I feel like this is why the younger generations are meesed up. They have been sheltered from pain, punishment, and haven't learned actions have consequences. Now when people do something they probably shouldn't have, they are shocked, horrified, or think they should be let off the hook, or demand draconian safety measures be put in place that makes the actual purpose of things near useless.

[@DrBoom88]

Exactly

[@hellothere8811]

Sir, I would like to say that I find your content just wonderful. You describe us Gen Xer's to a tee! Please keep posting and I will be sure to keep watching. May Valhalla Bless you and place you among the Gods.

[@MrMwmussel1]

I LOVE the idea of a baby taser.

[@radiosilence599]

That scene in Titus, when Stacey Keach as the dad is watching the son attempt to stick a fork in an electrical outlet. The mother no no don't do that, and Keach says "No no let go ahead. Go on you can do it". There is a zap a flash and a shout. Then he says "Well, your going to do that again are you?" Yeah that was how we grew up.

[@dannyfournier3263]

I'm a Boomer, and that's the way we learned. If something is hot and you touch it, you won't touch it again😊😊😊😊

[@edstringer1138]

The Silent Generation always had Gen Xs respect

[@a.mathis9454]

Falling out of trees, off of park play equipment, and roofs got rid of the chaff! 😂😂

[@alyssaoconnor]

My 4 year old niece would steal my lighter every time they would visit, no matter how many times I told her off as soon as my back was turned she’d be off hiding with her treasure flicking away, so I bought one of those trick lighters that give you a little electric shock when you press them - worked a treat 😊

[@Elliephantasm]

The lid stays off because those pod child proof lids are annoying AF

[@riverraven7]

Everything that kills me makes me feel alive😂

[@ladylestranj]

Tide Pod narrator sounded like Jeff C - I sure miss him....

[@arielfetters5662]

I saw the title and was like "Gen X and safety devices is like a bad Miami Vice episode. An oxymoron'. Then I saw the video clip and was like 'Okay, that makes sense' lol

[@NullaNulla]

Hell yeah boy!!! Though in our case it was more of a kick up the backside, the same way we were taught and hell it worked.

[@user-yn7ll3qz1p]

Xperience, our teacher and our teaching...

[@jaynenewcomb2094]

Did you ever bite both ends off a red vine’s licorice and use it for a straw? Gen X inverter Lol 🙃

[@PeaceJourney...]

Yes, but it wasn't as good as biting the ends off a candy cane to slurp up an orange that daddy squashed ❤🍊🍬

[@johnhorton9637]

That question always gets me. Alright who done it? As a Gen X I don't who done it. But I do agree with it

[@ruthsmith2367]

I put my mum’s crochet hook into the plug sock once when little, have no clue why, no safety things on them in those days. I took the lights out in the whole house, mum cradled me in the dark until dad came home praying. No phone in them days, help wasn’t coming anytime soon. I never did it again 🤣

[@sadad523]

Reminds me of when parents would let you pull the tv down on your head or touch the hot burner

[@MrsRamos678]

I was told to repeat my mistake again and if I feel pain and cry and have not drop onto to the floor I am ok! Rest in peace mom❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂

[@handimanjay6642]

A boomer says remove all the warning labels from everything and lets chlorinate the gene pool.

[@fooman2108]

My mother raised three boys, you have NO IDEA the amount of force (and the ATTENTION YOU WILL RETAIN) when a 90 lb. female with a badminton raquet, lays it on your BUTT!

[@LesCoins-uk]

I remember the good old days of "if you break your leg, don't come running to me". 68 X-er.

[@nrais76]

Amen, brother.

[@auburnjewels2]

We had toys that did this!!!! Trick gum!😂

[@Tsuter1978]

A little self taught lesson is good for a kiddo. Eventually they figure out that an umbrella makes a poor parachute. Same goes for a garbage bag.

[@bobbymorris5321]

I am 61 years young. I tried both, and a blanket. I am still alive.

[@bobbymorris5321]

And to clarify. I didn't do it a second time.

[@davidb.turknett4447]

As a Boomer Dad, I would like to say that teaching our kids it was okay to fuck around and find out. That's how we did it, and we survived. It will hurt, and pain is the best teacher, as long as you don't lose an appendage or a eye, it's just a good lesson in life. 😁

[@TorturedKittens]

Imma 43 year old parent of a 5 year old... "what did you learn?" Is very much a part of my parenting style. Ya won't do that again will ya? Sure she gets some scrapes and bruises, but she'll be tough.

[@driverr988]

Consequences! The Gen X way. 😈

[@dave-rn7zd]

We have to get my kicks some how. I may hook-up my gate to mains electricity (240V) for Halloween this year.

[@bluv6430]

Put an open jar of TABASCO on the counter too!

[@joelrunyan1608]

I'm a gen x. My son was 2.5. I was cooking. He reached for a hot pan... I shouted. THATS HOT... HE stopped... then. Reached again... I watched. He cried. I reminded him softly.. told ya... that's hot.

[@skidmark6348]

Hell yeah... Trauma taught us, our parents were too damn busy.

[@santashahadley5916]

Thats something I would of done but none of the delights in family tried the Pods yet.

[@1974fatback]

Oh wait till you see the spanking device…… 🫣

[@randolphmann3322]

Ok, this generation stuff is crazy. I was born a boomer but didn’t start booming until the 90s. I was young with the animals, flew like a eagle with Steve, lived in a yellow submarine with the Beatles, climbed the stairs to Heaven with Led Zeppelin, danced in the purple rain with prince, road the crazy train with Ozzie, built the wall with Pink Floyd, limped with the bizkit,rolled with the jelly, lived in the clown world with Tom, lived in the trailer with Adam and now I’m zooming through 2024, and everything in between! Yeah even road the midnight train with Hank all the way to Upchurch! In short, I’m still here and they are all my Generation! So WTF, FAFO! 👌🏻

[@TGG239]

“Lessons not learned in blood are soon forgotten”?

[@steveleblanc1566]

No no the child needs to learn and pain is grate teacher. Think how much we have learned threw pain. We can jump bikes grate because doing it wrong hurt.

[@dondoe6834]

My stomach is already bubbling it's like when you cuss and got a bar of soap shoved in your mouth

[@argentaegis]

On the surface: Don't eat Tide Pods. But there's a deeper meta-lesson being taught: Stupid = Pain The first is good to know. The second is a vital life skill.

[@denisewarner8982]

Love this guy😂

[@tfox285]

Can you tell us of three digit state abbreviations in the days before?

[@patriotfett]

Good gracious I miss the days it was FLA instead of FL for Florida

[@alyssafinch6853]

You put a Mr Yuck sticker on it!! 😂😂😂

[@balancebringer7888]

My daughter wanted to learn how to use the grill so I gave her very specific intrusions and demonstrated how to operate it several times and then let her try it. She lost her eyebrows that day because she didn't pay attention but now she understands how to use a gas powered grill. edit: you got my sub

[@johnnystephenson6908]

That is as funny as Nap Time Spray

[@grogvaughan5649]

You're welcome.. nuff said

[@erich4647]

Gen X here. When I was in my late 20's and surrounded by my kids and my friend's spawn, I came up with an idea to market a ne product. A lower level stun gun for children. we called it the Chazer, or tazer for unruly children. One or two zaps and behavior could be modified.

[@dkakito]

Its an Elder Millennial... We know the power of Gen X, and embrace the power of the Interwebz lol

[@MoroVanator]

There is a reason that the phrase, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Is a thing.

[@samfeikema9447]

My sister would leave me alone to watch my nephews every once in a while, I always told them the same thing, if nothing is broken and there's no blood, don't bother me with it.

[@brianallen1839]

I have placed mouse traps, the one you set and it snaps, inside the cookie jar to protect my cookies. It was a little tricky at first placing it without triggering it as I set it inside but I found that turning the cookie jar on its side a little was effective and didn't trigger the trap. Was kind of reminiscent of playing Operation, having to set it inside without moving it so it triggers. Wasn't for kids though, was for other Gen Xers. Does that still count?

[@jenniferbombard8211]

I love it

[@jackknauff7973]

Remember Kids, You'll learn. Oh yeah you'll learn.

[@lemhanback9595]

😂😂😂😂 bad part would be if mom forgot it was trapped. 😂😂😂😂

[@icemarkable]

Yes I too , believe pain teaches. Hot woodstoves... go ahead.

[@WildlyEclectic]

When Gen X teaches lessons = Learn to not be stupid next time.

[@deanvaillancourt2881]

Mom's safety device was a belt. It prevented many bad decisions.

[@donaldbraucher9885]

Some lessons can't be taught they can only be learned.

[@DragonLandlord]

This reminds me of Ren and Stimpy.

[@johnjohn7551]

Man i remember my baseball team in the back of my dads Datsun pickup going down the highway waving to people out the back. What happened?

[@shawnclifford362]

Honey Fred got ate by the combine, we gonna have to make a Tom.🥴☘️

[@sammieg8641]

I’m supposedly a millennial (1987) and I agree with this solution… you will only touch a hot stove once or you aren’t meant to survive

[@williamallen7836]

If you can't learn, you must feel. 😂

[@teazy1088]

Holy crap. I did just that with my kids. Lay a trap with a painful lesson as a prize.

[@donnakennell5111]

Since the Gen X generation, everything after became the "Bubblewrap" generation, with warning labels everywhere.

[@Rick-np9vz]

I love it! Where can I get a couple for my grandchildren? I'm seeing very beneficial therapy! Maybe one or two for the kids when they whine about it!