[wideminded]

Kids used to play outside and ride all over town on their bikes. Now they stay inside and play video games, but part of the reason for this is that in most places we have to worry that someone might do something bad to our kids. When I was a kid the probability of this happening was not considered high enough that kids even had to be warned about it. We never locked our door. We used to sled down the hill into the woods head first and no one ever suggested a helmet.

[LaraCroft]

All the fun stuff, but I also remember the chores.

I had animals, and I had to take care of them, feed, water, exersize, clean up after, how ever often it needed to be done. I had to get up early to feed the horses, milk the goats (thank goodness we didn't have milk cows, I did get to sleep a bit in the AM).

When I got home from school when I was older I also had house chores, and when I was about 14 my stay at home mom got a job and I got to do the shopping and cook dinner every night, and then clean up afterwards. We got to watch an hour of TV a day, and sometimes we'd forget to.

And I still found time to ride my horses a few hours a day, or 12 or so on weekends. I gave riding lessons and broke horses for money for extra stuff... you know, grain, brushes, and tack.

My parents were actually quite rich, but I didn't know it.

I had the best childhood ever, and look back longingly at the past as a well loved memory quilt.

Thanks for the memories Jesse.

[CyberAnt]

One paradox that has always amazed me is the fact the ultra left-wing of the democrat party keeps saying its the over population that is causing all the problems on the earth; poluting the air, etc.

However .. they are constantly harping about everything which causes people to be injured or killed.

The two positions are exactly opposite each other!

Hmmmm? I guess that's why the dems/libs have no core beliefs .. they can't decide if people should live or die.

[Taxman]

When I was a kid, America was a FRee country.

Keep pushing, nanny-state. You will not like the result when we get fed up and push back!

[Taxman]

The other thought that has been resonating through my mind for the past couple of years is that we, the citizens, are supposed to keep our government in check.

We have failed.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

How fortunate we were to grow up as kids before lawyers and burgeoning government regulated our lives, for our own good. How sorry I am for what those years of meddling have done to our children and grandchildren and even sorrier that we all allowed the government and politicians to get away with it!

The only problem with this part of the article is its an untruth government does not regulate what our kids watch play or do thats the parents job if the parents are sheep then the government does regulate it !

Personal responsibility to a grown up kicks in when the parent feels guilty for what they have not made sure has been done for their child when their child looks at them and there is no guilt you've done one of two things ......you've done your job as a parent or your oblivious of your own child and the needs they have that need to be filled

loving your child is simple discipline an parenting is hard the author needs to get a life and quit living in the past !

I think that most people forget on fundamental thing about government WE are the government The people we ELECT are the Representatives . So if your being regulated your letting it happen !

[The Coopster]

People Over 40 Should Be Dead

Carousel......

[sonofatpatcher2]

Yep,

Me and Wick are way over 40...

[risk]

Soylent Green is made from people!

[BSunday]

Bump for one of the best FR threads ever.

[Paul C. Jesup]

This is not what I think we should be worried about.

What we should be worried about is because of today's regulators, bureaucrats and taxes, I doubt anyone (including myself) who is under 25 is going to live to see 40.

[bk1000]

I, too, grew up in those days, and they were great. What makes me angry whenever I read something like this is this: If it was so great back then, why have we raised our children so differently? I remember being sternly diciplined for something I had done, and would whimper to myself: "Snif..when I have kids I sure won't be so mean to them!..Snif". Now I appreciate that dicipline, but I sure didn't at the time. Why do we do things so differently now? Don't let the kid have the cellphone, video game, or Abercrombie slut-wear. Be a 'mean' parent instead of trying to be your kid's 'buddy'. They'll thank you when they're grown. (just a rant. I have no kids of my own, and use of the word 'you' does not refer to anyone in particular.)

[SamAdams76]

One thing that really annoys me about bringing up kids today is the oversupervision that goes on. It's as if that parents never want to be separated from their children. For example, I have been involved in Little League sports with my kids for years now. The vast majority of parents are there for not only every single game but for every minute of every practice. I mean, the kids are there at practice just getting instruction from their coaches, fielding grounders and running around the bases and stuff like that. And you got these parents with their videocameras documenting every moment. At PRACTICE!

I just drop my kids off at practice and come back when it's over. One time it rained and practice ended early. My son was the only one there when I came to pick him up and the coaches stayed with him. I felt like a child abuser even though my son was 12 years old and perfectly capable of waiting there by himself. In fact, he could have walked home, as the practice field is only about a mile away from the house.

[TC Rider]

We played with toy guns and didn't become serial killers.

We collected mercury from broken thermometers to play with and didn't poison ourselves.

We swam unsupervised in ponds and streams without a lifeguard.

A cut requiring stitches was a badge of honor, not a cause of litigation.

[Hot Tabasco]

I never went blind! (However I do wear extremely thick bi-focals)

[nutmeg]

That's odd... I just saw this article on another thread last night with a different title: People over 35 should be dead.