When we were kids

Things seem really different now than when we were kids. I remember in the summers around age 8 I would leave my parent’s house after lunch and not come back until dinner. I would go down to the park and ride my bike on trails that were very hilly and some that went very close to the creek. I would walk around the neighborhood asking who could come out and play. I was not unusual. All the kids had about the same rules….play outside and don’t be late for dinner. I have a park down the street from my house now. I do not release my kids to “hang out at the park” all day and then check in at dinner. Here is the question… was it really different back then in terms of what could happen to a child hanging out by themselves all day, or were we just lucky? I was never molested or killed on my adventures in the park. I experienced scrapes and bruises but never suffered a traumatic bike fall that left me to bleed out alone. I did know that teenagers were often smoking pot in “the pit” in my park…. but no one ever harmed me there. My parents were not idiots and they did not want me to experience harm. Was it really safer then? Are we too uptight now? I don’t know. I know some parents I would put in the “uptight” category I also know parents I think are not careful enough. I’m sure some would think I was either too uptight or too lax… depending on who you talked to. I personally can think of too many things that could be harmful to my child at my local park if they were left there alone. I guess I’ll just keep things the way they are for now…. I don’t know…. It’s a process.