Children in 1979 vs 2011

[Barrister]

Are the terms "helicopter parent" and "curling parent" in general use btw?

I havent heard of a curling parent (insert obvious BB joke here) but helicopter parent will be entering the dictionary soon.

I fully intend to be a curling parent.  I can't wait - all those saturday afternoons down at the curling club...

[merithyn]

I was 9 in 1979.  I would take off my my bike and my friends and be gone all day with no way to get in touch with anyone or any way for them to find me. 

Same. I told my kids this once and they said, "Well, how did you know when to come home?" Duh! When the street lights came on!

I get nervous when my high school aged daughters are home 10 minutes late and they both carry cell phones. 

I parent like my parents did, and I was shunned for it in Suburban Hell, Chicago. My boys were walking home from school alone by the end of first grade, and they had to walk *gasp* right next to a pond! At one point, the principal pulled me aside to ask me if I thought it was wise to let them do so, especially since I was home and could come and get them. Nevermind that I was home with a disabled daughter at the time, helping her with her PT/OT/ST when the boys were getting out of school. Regardless, they never had a problem coming home, though there were older kids who still got lost when they dared wander out alone.

[Razgovory]

Has parenting really changed that much?  I was allowed to ride my bike to school and like CdM ride around in the summer and explore.  Nobody thought much of it.  My neighborhood had a lot of old industrial crap around so was all kinds of neat stuff to do.  I didn't have many friends though.  Not that many kids around.

[Ideologue]

Where does this fear come from ?

The terror of knowing what this world is about?

[merithyn]

Has parenting really changed that much?  I was allowed to ride my bike to school and like CdM ride around in the summer and explore.  Nobody thought much of it.  My neighborhood had a lot of old industrial crap around so was all kinds of neat stuff to do.  I didn't have many friends though.  Not that many kids around.

Yes, yes it has. People now believe that "idle hands bring trouble", so they schedule and overschedule their kids to keep them "busy" so they don't get into trouble. Because of that, all play also has to be scheduled, through play dates and such. Even at 9 and 10 years old, the kids in Suburban Hell were calling each other up to make a play date, and god forbid anyone just show up on someone's doorstep. That was considered the height of rudeness.

Riding bikes is fine so long as it's done on the cul-de-sac with a helmet, elbow and knee pads on just in case someone happens to fall. (Wouldn't want our little angels to get scuffed knees now, would we?) Skateboards are okay, too, so long as they're the kind with the handle and they're only used on a flat surface. And children are absolutely not allowed to go to the pool by themselves! They must be at LEAST 14 before that's okay, and even then, it's probably better if Mom or Dad are around.. just in case.

I was so unbelievably happy when I finally moved out of that area. 

[11B4V]

Has parenting really changed that much? 

Yes

[Razgovory]

I guess I'll take your word for it.  Seems odd.  I do remember a few kids had parents like that, but most didn't.  I guess things like exploring storm sewer tunnels, riding your bike to the Missouri river, playing on the railroad tracks doesn't fly anymore, or hitting golf balls off a cliff just doesn't fly anymore.

[Martinus]

I gave my daughter a puppy recently. When she is 12 years old she will be required to strangle that puppy to death to show her strength. If she cannot, then she will be put to death.

Can you do that legally?

Why would you not be able to give a puppy to your daughter legally? What kind of crazy, anti-pedo moral panic is that???

[Martinus]

I remember the rules in 1979, when I was 13.

1) Don't take candy from a hippie.
2) If the earthquake hits, your desk will protect you.
3) Bomb Iran.

I think that is about all.

Didn't you also learn that when a nuclear attack comes, you need to lie down with your feet towards the eruption and cover your face with a newspaper?

[Martinus]

I was 9 in 1979.  I would take off my my bike and my friends and be gone all day with no way to get in touch with anyone or any way for them to find me. 

Me too; 9 in 1979.  Get on the bikes at 9 am, pack the backpacks with sammiches and Jugs, go exploring, and used tthe sun as a clock.  Home by dark.
Life was good.

I get nervous when my high school aged daughters are home 10 minutes late and they both carry cell phones. 

  One of the reasons I skipped that phase.

I remember we were riding into the forest on our bikes and digging up old WW2 bomb shells and transporting them back home - until my father found out and told us these are actually unexploded bombs and told us to stop.

[Martinus]

Has parenting really changed that much?

I think it's two things. One is the insane concern for safety. The other is an Asian style sense of competitiveness, which means kids are sent to 5 different language classes and all kind of extra curricular activities at an early age.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I was 9 in 1979.  I would take off my my bike and my friends and be gone all day with no way to get in touch with anyone or any way for them to find me. 

I get nervous when my high school aged daughters are home 10 minutes late and they both carry cell phones. 

Where does this fear come from ?

It is parental self-indulgence. Parents have a very strong protective instinct, in recent years this has been given free rein and the counter-balancing need to encourage children to develop independence neglected.

[Razgovory]

Didn't you also learn that when a nuclear attack comes, you need to lie down with your feet towards the eruption and cover your face with a newspaper?

Is this what was taught in Poland?  In the US they taught the Duck and Cover drills which were later mocked for their perceived ineffectiveness.  From what I've come to understand about nuclear weaponry "Duck and Cover" seemed sound advice. True, if you are at ground zero and right underneath the fireball, it won't do much good.  But if you are several miles away ( which most people would likely be), it could very well save your life.

[11B4V]

I was 9 in 1979.  I would take off my my bike and my friends and be gone all day with no way to get in touch with anyone or any way for them to find me. 

I get nervous when my high school aged daughters are home 10 minutes late and they both carry cell phones. 

Where does this fear come from ?

It is parental self-indulgence. Parents have a very strong protective instinct, in recent years this has been given free rein and the counter-balancing need to encourage children to develop independence neglected.

What a broad stroke, sweeping bunch of horse shit.

[11B4V]

Didn't you also learn that when a nuclear attack comes, you need to lie down with your feet towards the eruption and cover your face with a newspaper?

Is this what was taught in Poland?  In the US they taught the Duck and Cover drills which were later mocked for their perceived ineffectiveness.  From what I've come to understand about nuclear weaponry "Duck and Cover" seemed sound advice. True, if you are at ground zero and right underneath the fireball, it won't do much good.  But if you are several miles away ( which most people would likely be), it could very well save your life.

Look at the pretty flash.