I grew up in the '60s, when rock-n-roll was hot and computers were not. It was a much simpler time, because we could play outdoors in the streets and even walk to school by ourselves. We could play outdoors without parental supervision and even play with our neighbors' kids at their homes; what a time it was. Today, kids will not even go outside anymore, because they are glued to their cell phones or their iPads. In the '60s, we were more physically fit because we spent time out in the sun and got lots of exercise running and playing softball. Besides, we didn't even use sunblock, imagine that. We also were allowed to play in the dirt and even made mud pies – can you just imagine what today's parents would say?
Our parents worried about us, of course, but they also allowed us the freedom to play with our friends. By allowing this it gave them a break from us, and what parent doesn't need a break every now and then? What is interesting about today is that parents are so worried something will happen to their kids that they need to know where they are every second of the day. So they buy them cell phones, which were unheard of in our day. Cell phones can be a good thing when a child is in trouble and needs help, but at the same time they can be a burden at times if you just want to have some peace and time to yourself.
Another thing I've noticed is how much more involved parents are in the lives of their children. I can honestly say that is one thing I did miss as a child, my parents were not as involved, but that didn't affect me negatively in any way. I understood they were busy. In this day and age I see moms who are so busy running the household, taking their kids from dance lessons to soccer practice and not having any time to themselves. I believe there should be a balance of activities for everyone or else burnout will occur. In some cases, these parents are creating children who will never really be able to experience peace or know how to relax due to all the activities.
When it comes to bullying, which today seems to be a major issue, boys were boys and being a little tough never hurt anyone. Today, however, we are raising wimps who whine about everything. These children are growing up without much backbone. It's healthy for kids to have differences, but it's how they handle it that is key. For instance, back in our day if we stood up to a bully, this showed them we weren't afraid and they would back down and life would go on. We wouldn't post it on Facebook or tell everyone under the sun about it. We moved on and eventually forgot it ever happened.
Being able to eat regular sugar candy was my favorite part of growing up in the '60s. Now of course today it's frowned upon. There weren't as many cases of diabetes back then and they weren't creating GMO foods either. We ate real fruit and vegetables and not any junk food, so we were healthier than kids are today. Then they began to give the cows more antibiotics, growth hormones as well as pasteurization, and cow's milk is now more harmful than ever. The toxicity in the foods they grow today is of grave concern. But in our day we didn't have those types of concerns; foods were nutritious and good for you.
Parenting children is very different today, that is why I'm glad that I was lucky enough to have been born during a time when things were much simpler and we didn't have many of the fears our children face today.