I rarely dare to start a sentence with 'when I was a kid.." for fear of sounding old. But, this story prompts the urge. Growing up in Levittown in the 1970's, the neighborhood streets and fence-less yards were our playground. Parents busied themselves with yard work and home improvement projects, while we roamed the town. It was completely acceptable back then. The kids on my street, were no stranger to a game of 'kick the can', kickball, wiffle ball, flash light tag or manhunt, the last two, for obvious reasons, only played at night. On school nights, our curfew was determined by the glow of the street lights, or the cue from our father ; his distinct whistle. That was when we knew it was time to head home and get a bath. Whatever the case, parents did not supervise these outings, nor were they expected to.
So, what has changed? Why are we now more cautious than ever with our kids? And why was this Texas mom arrested for allowing her kids to play outside?
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Do you miss the way things used to be? Do you hover over your kids, or let them roam free?
