How times have changed! What do you think?  

Well I was born in the 80's, but I still remember some of that. I don't agree with half of what we're told today, and I still raise my kids the way I was raised as a child. I really miss those days, it seemed we had so much more freedom than our kids have now. I remember when I was a kid, about 20 of us would load up in a car or truck to go somewhere. There was no qualms about if there were enough seats or seatbelts. We'd ride in the bed of a pick up, or in the back of a station wagon. Now, families with more than 5 kids have to take seperate cars in order to go somewhere because everyone needs a seatbelt or car seat. Heck, kids need to be left in car seats until they're like 7 years old, how ridiculous!

I remember riding my bike to school and actually walking to school on other days. My parents didn't even have to hold my hand. We could cross streets on our own without a crossing guard stopping traffic for us. Oh those were the days alright. I feel sorry for today's overprotected youth. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

hey, I was born 1969 to a mother who not only smoked but play cards too until wee hours in the morning..Those were the only two vices she had until she succumb to lung cancer and died when i was three..
So, I was left with a father who was always at work, two sisters and a brother who were hippies and a country which was under Martial Law and a president who was the ultimate corrupt and people who were dying or salvaged for unknown causes or maybe because they simply just dont agree with Marcos.
I used to play in the streets with other kids and enjoyed hide and seek.
Without kids being lost or kidnapped and be sold for just a few hundreds of pesos to support their vices or drugs.
I loved playing in the rain and even had paper sailboats made and followed it's course through the muddy water and swam in waist deep flood water..
Kids nowadays are just inside the house, watching through their windows, wishing they could play in the rain. But the concerns about the "acid rain" and "leptospirosis" can be fatal, so, some parents rather make a pretend rain shower in the bathroom than allow their kids to bathe and play in the real rain.
Our car windows were rolled down because we wanted to breathe fresh air..
Now,unless your car window is stuck and can't roll it up, you will suffocate because of trucks belching out black smoke, dust in your whole face and sticky and hard to manage hair, plus clothes that smells yucky before you get to the office.
When I was in high school, I sometimes hitched hike because the school was in a very posh village and no other means of public transportation except when one has a car. I felt safe though they were strangers.
Now, good luck if you get in your destination safe and unharmed. Even sometimes looks can be deceiving. Some women ends up in a gutter, raped and worst chopped into pieces.
I used to drink straight from the faucet too. That time, water here was crystal clear.
Since, my town became a city, thousands of people decided to live here, malls and other commercial establishments prosper, there is a shortage of water now and what you get have either harsh chemicals, rust or red worms! So, water delivery is really a booming business here.
Times indeed have changed a lot! Some for the better and some turned worst.
It was only the other day when my best friend and I were talking about our sons activities. They would rather play game consoles for long hours rather than go outside and play badminton or hopscotch! Her son always have his cellphone and cant stop texting his girlfriend while my friend waits for those rare moments of bonding together.
I always tell my childhood stories to my kid and he is usually amazed at how happy I was even with just simple games such as hopscotch and hide and seek..He then tells me that those days were gone and kids nowadays are not interested with simple living.
I sometimes pity those kids including mine because things during my time may be simple but I was really happy, carefree, and safe...

This is fantastic and I totally agree with you, was so much fun today is all about pcs and video games, kids have no friends are isolated and do not learn how to become smart and what is life about! One day maybe we get back to that time and I wish I am alive to see it, so much funnnnnnnn!

I don't think things have changed as much as people think they have. In the previous decades, some things were done which had risks we didn't know about. We know about them now, we protect the children. That is an improvement. As to the other point about playing outside, I think kids need to do a little more of that. However, playing outside all the time can also lead to skin cancer on down the road. At least use sunscreen.