[crz]

It was the very best of times to grow up and to raise kids. My folks always said so.

As kids we entertained ourselves and NEVER needed anything else.

[PA Engineer]

As kids we entertained ourselves and NEVER needed anything else.

We grew up in a new development surrounded by woods in suburban Pittsburgh.

We would head to the football field (real football), join up with other friends in the woods, ride our bikes until we didn't know where we were, walk to swim practice in the morning, build forts, dams, and go carts. All of these things we did after morning chores.

We never once feared for our safety (well maybe after the string broke on the tire swing over the ravine), and we had absolute freedom to explore and build skills for later life.

TV was not part of the schedule. We just didn't watch that much. We had more choice in Pittsburgh because we had 5 stations, but it just wasn't part of our childhood culture. At least with the TV we watched, there were no commercials for lawyers, pharmaceuticals and yeast infections!

It was a different time. It was the perfect time to grow up. We lost a very important part of our society. Childhood.