Sometimes I look back at my childhood and I wonder what the hell my parents were thinking. As a parent, there are things I would never let my kids do, that I was able to. When I bring it up to my parents, they accuse me of making things up, or dreaming things and thinking it was true when it's not. (what.ever!) The things they let me do...go on a cruise with my best friend, I was 17, she was 14. Hello? Running around Mexico with little to no supervision? Even running around the ship with no supervision seems like a bad idea to me. Crazy. Also, when we were kids, we were allowed to "explore" around my grandpa's house, in the mountains. We routinely went on hikes, with nothing more than a stick and a dog as "protection". Weren't they afraid of snakes, or bears, or mountain lions getting us? I know that I am afraid of those things now. I can't imagine being as fearless as we were, and traipsing through the mountains, looking for forts and whatnot. Sheer stupidity! I know times have changed and all that, but now I can't help but wonder, am I overly protective, or were my parents just dumb for letting me do some of the things they let us do? The funny thing? I wasn't even allowed to leave the culdesac where I lived until I could drive. So while certain activities were deemed "safe", others were not. Makes no sense to me.
How about you? Were you allowed to do things you would never allow your children to do? Or, do you just ever wonder what the heck your parents were thinking sometimes?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
13 comments:
When I was in high school, lets say from 16-18, my dad let me go to my friends families cabin. Actually it wasn't just my dad, all of our parents let us go there. No supervision at all. Lots of drinking, lots of parties. Sometimes it wasn't just for the weekend either. Lots of times in the summer it was for the week. We had two boats at our disposal, and just a bunch of teens hanging out on the lake. It was wonderful?
Would I let Ryan do that when he gets older? Maybe. Just depends.
I also went to Myrtle Beach when I was 17, no parents and just us 8 teens. We went to Atlantic City when I was 18. My dad even got us the rooms.
It was fun, it was irresponsible I would assume, but it was also allowing us to grow some, without needing mommy and daddy all the time.
Lol...there is not supposed to be a question mark after wonderful. Of course it was wonderful.
I was allowed to do a lot of things, that I would never let my future childern do, but times have changed. It isn't as safe as it use to be.
LOL @ Syren. You made me laugh with that one. I didn't even notice the question mark until you pointed it out.
Sounds like you had some good times!
Sonya, they say "times have changed" but really, I'm not so sure. Have they really? Or are we just made more aware of the bad things going on, thus making it *seem* as though they've changed?
MM. What you said above ^? Is why my blog is called Ignorance IS Bliss. Were the dangers there, but we were oblivious to them? Probably so, but we had fun!
My kids have WAY less freedom than I did. I'll post more about it later.
I wouldn't say that my parents "let" me do the things that I did. I just did them and worried about the consequences later.
But things like them smoking in the station wagon while we played wildly with no seatbelts and stuff like that were the things that they did then.
I would be an over protective parent which is part of why I am not a parent. *grin*
Ignorance really *can* be bliss, can't it?
Carey, isn't that funny? Things like smoking in the car and not making kids wear seatbelts were so normal back then (you mean in the 1920's, right?). *grin*
Things have definitely changed though. Nowadays, people would likely call CPS if they saw that going on.
Oh yeah.
I walked everywhere. Sometimes I rode a bus or a bike, but I walked a lot. And for miles. When I was 14, I started hanging out in a neighborhood that was 4-5 miles away. I would walk to and from, sometimes walking home at night (9 p.m.) by myself. There were some blocks that I would actually run.
We pretty much did anything we wanted, anytime.
I was married when I was 17 so apparently I had too much freedom. *giggle*
I can't even imagine letting my 17 year old daughter go to Mexico with a friend. *shudder* Hell, if my Mom had her way I still wouldn't be allowed to leave the continent.
Our cottage was on an island when I was a kid and we were free to explore all over it and we did. It was a big island too.
Under the what were they thinking category, I have one story. I may have told this before but it kind of suits this topic. My Dad and I were at the cottage one day and it was very rough on the lake so he decided to take me to the back bay on the island and leave me sitting there while he drove the boat around to the calm side to pick me up. I was about 4 or 5 at the time. My Mom freaked when she heard what he did but Dad said that he knew that if he told me to stay in one spot that I would. And I did.
I found that I was pretty protective of Jamie when he was little but as he grew up and proved that he was reasonably responsible, I felt comfortable giving him more freedom. We still checked up on him. The May 24th weekend is a huge party weekend here in Canada. He would go camping with his friends and we'd always go for a drive to see how they were doing during the weekend. He didn't mind though because he said we were "cool" parents.
I spent just about my entire childhood away from immediate adult supervision. Mostly, I spent days climbing and playing on the Niagara Escarpment or building rafts and "fishing" in one of several ponds within a few miles of my house. Those were the days when at suppertime, all moms stood on their back porch and "called" the children in. The mom's would cup their hands around their mouths and call to the four directions. If a mom called her kid's name three or more times, then other moms would take up the call, kind of like a Twilight Bark, so I would get the call even out on the pond. If you couldn't make it home within about 20 minutes of the call you were in trouble. I remember some wild bike rides home when I heard my name in the Twilight Call!
My mom worried that I would fall off a cliff while escarpment climbing, so she preferred that I always go with a friends and "be careful". I never told her that me and my friend spent hours jumping off cliffs just for fun, and daring each other to see who could make the most dangerous jump!
I went swimming in Lake Ontario at beaches with no lifeguards. If our car had seatbelts, I didn't know about them. After I was about 12, I could walk anywhere, ride my bike anywhere or take a bus into the "big city" (Hamilton, ON lol.)
I think it all worked because so many people were willing to play the in loco parentis role. We seemed wild, but we were well behaved in terms of not being destructive of property or breaking of laws. Any adult could correct us, and they did as needed. That's the biggest difference I see between then and now. People do not feel entitled to "control" other people's children. I wish they did, because all children are safer then.
My kids had more freedoms than most of their peers. My neighborhood here even had a couple of women who did the Twilight Call! But that has disappeared now. I used to see kids playing in my creek all the time, now I rarely do--and when if I look closely I can usually spot the watching adult, hanging back but watching.
I don't think pick-up sports happen anymore. Everything is a league.
Yep, times sure have changed. I was just discussing this with DH the other night.
When I was in grade school, we used to walk by ourselves to school. It was about 3-4 long blocks away. On one side of the street were houses, the other side was a large field. One day, a man came out from behind a rock and told us to go over there to see a kitten he found. For some reason, we were suspicious of him, so we ran to school and told the teacher and she called the cops. However, even with that happening, we still continued to walk ourselves to school. If I had children today, there is no way they'd be walking to school alone.
Anyway, we were out all day long doing whatever we wanted. Like Swami said, we would just wait for the "call to dinner".
I think, with 5 kids, my mom was just greatful when we weren't in the house! I sometimes wish my kids would leave and find a friend and get lost for the day! ...but then again, they'd have me worried if they did that.
I have to think more about this one, but I know I'm nothing like my mom was when I was a kid. I must know where they are at all times, but these days, they both have cellphones. Which makes me feel better! ...except when Nutzgirl ignores hers! *rolls eyes*
I agree that people are more aware of dangers now. I don't think it is more dangerous. I spent most of my childhood playing in the woods or on the beach or on the dock(with a lifejacket-I think) and most of junoir high out horseback riding with friends. I loved that freedom and would love to give my children that, if they weren't so busy weaving me carpets.
Post a Comment