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I hitchiked in the 1970's. Got into cabs of truckers. At age 16, 17. Female from NY. went from Manhattan to Vermont and Massachussets and back. Glad the one guy I made out with wasn't a rapist.

NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER would I do that now. I wouldn't even let my kids ride their bikes out of my sight now. Just look at the proliferation of pedophiles, perverts and loonies just waiting to pray on unsupervised kids in parks, country roads, behind laundromats...

We may not have had all this computer stuff but we did have TV and we watched a lot of it. Just as dulling to the brain as an XBox or Playstation.

AND as for eating crap growing up, many of us are FAT because of it and many of us had ROTTEN TEETH needing to be pulled at early ages from eating a diet of candy, Twinkies, Twizzles sticks and sour acid candies.

And as for riding in cars without car seats, exactly why do you think it is now a law? Because some of your fellow kids growing up in those days were mangled and died when their little bodies were propelled, unrestrained, in a sudden stop.

As for lead paint, I for one am glad they finally figured out it causes brain damage to kids with high levels of it. Thousands of children's learning problems have been traced to high lead levels.

My mother smoked with me and as a result I was low birth weight and am an adult barely 5 feet 2 inches.

Just remeber that many kids who did not survive the 30's-70's and many who are not healthy now because of poor diets and health choices during those years. Not all modernities are worse than the past.

You said well the response I try to give when someone talks about the "old days" before safety was such a big issue. I especially like to point out the part about how we're around to say "we survived," but others aren't.

Sure, like most other Freepers I'm nostalgic for when I used to bike all around town for hours at a time. But whenever there's a story in the news now about a kid getting abducted, most Freepers are also quick to jump on the parents for not keeping a close enough watch on their kid. Times do change, and we have to change with them.

Just look at the proliferation of pedophiles, perverts and loonies just waiting to pray on unsupervised kids in parks, country roads, behind laundromats...

I don't necessarily buy the contention that there are "more whackos these days". It would seem to me that this would be somewhat of a constant regardless of the era.

hate to burst your bubble, but my son, can build things, rode his bike everywhere. Is not fat at all. When he was 5 or 6 went collecting money for chocolate bars for his soccer team. He was gone for 3 hrs. When it was 8pm I started to be concerned, but he came home with a boat load of money. Of course I sent the dog with him, who by the way was not on a leash. Dog is a border collie so lots of energy, but would not protect or attack a soul.
My neighborhood, the kids are outside, do slip and slide, and wander in the woods making tree houses.

I agree that the video games have contributed to fat kids. My son would stay for hours in front of a screen.

Oh and for the lady who complained about being low birth weight and short because her mom smoked. I am small about 5 feet. My mother was smaller 4'10". My brothers about 5'8". I am small because my genetics are small. My son is now 5'10" and 15 and I smoked and he had a birth weight of over 7 lbs. When the doctor said that smoking led to low birth weight, I said good. I did not want a monster baby. And yes I had a normal but painful delivery.