pkary

No, I think we are having too many health problems because kids can't just go outside anymore, an adult with them is really very necessary. And, we try to keep our houses so sanitized kids do not develop any resistance to anything! As kids we, of the early baby boomers, ran wild all summer. We left the house about 8 am and no adult really knew where we were until the gong rang about 5 to get home for supper. The "big" kids - those 8 or so and up, watched out for the little kids - those as young as 2 and no one was allowed to stay in the house all day. And, heaven help any kid who thought they would try to bully a kid in "our gang!"

Times have certainly changed for sure. However, I think, in our quest to keep our kids safe, we have allowed too much freedom to be taken away from them. Mothers, or Dads, are not at home afterschool, toys are too educational to be much fun, and we've let family dinnertime slip away. There really is no such thing as "quality time" that can make up for "just chillin" time - one on one, with your kids. It really is the time you spend with your kids, not what you do together, that counts in the end.

CloverPatch

Remeber being a wee little thing, hanging out the car window going down the interstate. Sitting on the armrest of the door. Couldn't have been more than 3 or 4. Remeber holding on dearly cause the wind was so much, Mom didn't care a lick. Till I took the 7-11 cup with me, couldn't hold on to it and the door, So onto the highway it went. Yep, that got her mad!! I lost her coke! Car seats? booster seats?
Dad made us wear seat belts, but not mom.
Psychology has suggested each generation gets stricter with the rules, because the they missed their parents attention as a child.
Such as....
"Mom never gave me a curfew, or cared where I went, so my kids will be home by 10pm, because I love them and want them home unlike my parents".... ETC.

damaquilts

Before my time. Although I never saw my grandmother wear pants until much later in life. I was in pants, bell bottoms,jeans, as much as possible. Or mini skirts. :-) Then maxi dresses when I got preggers.
My senior class was the one that petitioned to wear pants to school. LOL those mini skirts got cold in the winter. :-)

stitchinwitch

Here is another memory tugger-Do any of you remember the pay toilets? The ones in the dept stores were 10 cents and many times my mother was out of change so I had to try to crawl under the door! Those are NOT good memories. I think I was around 4 then. Thank goodness those are a thing of the past!

thesnook

So right Ditter. And we live in some awesome times.

cheryl rearick

Wonderful years. I grew up in the county and my ride was a horse, Oh did we have fun, I went all over, bareback, real county girl I was, and actually cried when we moved into town abt 2000 strong. (smile) In all the years I grew up in this little area I never heard of one child being raped, and there were no drive by shootings. A good time for growing up it was. Thank you Ditter for the meomories, you always bring out the best. :)

Rock Lady

A friend and I were just talking about this very same thing yesterday. "Obese" was not even a word in our vocabulary. I even tried to teach my grandchildren how to play hopscotch but that didn't last long. They had a program they "had" to watch on TV. I do not regret having been born when I was. I'd do it all over again.

northern quilter

Also, everyone watched out for other children. If you were doing something wrong, someone gave you heck and then told your parents who gave you heck when you got home. Now you don't dare say anything to any one else's children just mind your own business.

wytetygeress

it was also the 80's..i remember a lot of that stuff. I was born in 1980. I am trying to raise my kids a little bit like the old days. But i live on 2 1/2 acres. In a small town. But yes there is way to many things to worry about.

jojosnana

Ah the good ol' days. I also remember that you had to be inside, washed and sitting at the dinner table at a certain time. We ate quietly and then everyone got to tell about their day during desert. We had to clear the table because that was where we all had to do our homework before the tv was even turned on. We used to get excited it some family member had a science project due. We all put our two cents in and as I recall, those projects always got great grades.