How Did We Survive Childhood?

Little People

Ok, so the toy on the left represents the toys I played with as a kid. The Little People were...little. The toy on the right represents today's Little People. Larger. No, not a statement about childhood obesity, but a safer, choke-free toy.
The other day, I heard my 1 1/2 year old chewing on something. I turned around, and the toy on the left was COMPLETELY inside his mouth. I'm not even sure where I left it, that he could find it. And I'm not even sure what possessed him to want to put it in his mouth.
But it got me thinking about how we survived our own childhoods. There are tons of items that we would look at horror-stricken if they were given to our own children, but we gleefully played with ourselves. Our car seats were not comfortable, no padding, no cushioning. Our paint had lead in it. We rode bikes with the wind blowing through our hair.
And amazingly, most of us survived it.