I was thinking or other times in my youth and pictures of me climbing trees as a youngster and teenager came to mind. I remember how my friends and I would climb pretty much every tree we could in our neighborhood and also in the local parks. We would ride our bicycles all over and it was nothing to be 5 to 10 miles from home. We would ride several miles out to the beach (Folly Beach in Charleston) just to swim in the ocean. No parents along. We did what seemed fun,

At Christmas, I remember many kids who got bikes or roller skates would be in packs on the city sidewalks. I haven't seen that in 30 years.

During the past few years (at least 10) I cannot recall seeing a single kid climb a tree and few on bicycles.

We would play sandlot football or baseball or soccer. Now it's all supervised and organized. If you want your kid to play you have to JOIN an organization and pay fees. Only practice under supervision. Only play when they tell you that you are ALLOWED to play.

No climbing trees. No riding bikes.No being out of sight. Nothing unsupervised.

Some people are all in on saying everything is dangerous for kids and thus they must be under constant supervision. I say that these attitudes and the way that these people treat kids has caused what we have now among the younger people (soy boys and all that other stuff).

Many of our older people reminisce about the good old days of the 60's and 70's. They say we had it better and were more free.

I feel you pain and sorrow for the loss of safety and freedom. With my kids, I owned near to Public Parks and good school districts with police nearby.

We as parents started and after school program, in private and public schools. With our neighborhood center, we got parents of students to donate 1 day a month to supervise the play areas to keep all safe. We also pitched in for an armed security guard to stay after the basic Class Day, extending hours. With one of my kids going to that "center", I paid for a "Karate" teacher to walk the halls and play grounds. When there was a "threat", he disarmed the situation without breaking a sweet.

Also in my local park, behind my back yard and one house, I set up a camera system that could be watched online by all parents (with a password), also the local police was given a monitor system, split screen showing movement if anyone climbed the chain link fence.

I was about 5 when I was out running around unsupervised although I wasn’t allowed to cross the street. Just a few more years and I was all over the place. By 11-12 we were on dirt bikes miles from home.

Yep. Parents afraid of kids getting hurt. What they don't realize is it is the failures that teach the biggest lessons. Fall off of your bike and skin that bare knee, consequences of riding a bike in shorts and no shoes. Fall out of a tree 20 feet up, hitting a couple of branches on the way down teaches you to assure your grip and not getting overconfident in what you do.

Small wonder when there's 72 different genders out there,

and tree climbers aint one of them.

Maybe that's why there are furbabbies and litter boxes in school bathrooms.

I always wore a knife on my side in high school and so did all my friends. And we drove hotrods. Well....they did, I was hoping mine would grow into one.

6x6, no world wasn’t a much safer place. But, as my mom used to say,’ you want to do something stupid, I got lots more.’ ( more kids)

I should have saved an old newspaper that I got in a wooden crate I was buying at a rummage sale. Small town Wisconsin paper from late 1950s. Three or four articles about kids dying, or getting severely maimed from doing stupid s//t. But, families were big enough, parents didn’t have to worry about all the kids expiring.

My first two kids were pretty feral. Born in 1970 and 1975, they were the kids on bikes on ramps with no helmets. Climbed trees, broke bones, etc.

Then Adam Walsh happened, and kids started showing up on milk cartons...life as we knew it ended and I remember it clearly.

By the time DS#3 was born in 1988, the world had changed. We also learned from the first two what little minds can concoct. DS3 was raised wrapped in cotton wool.

And then DS2 had kids in 1997 and 2005 and the world had changed again...

Oh really, RB?

Those pilots that bombed the crapola out of that Iranian nuclear bunker had their arses in chairs, for about 30 hours straight, if I recall. And my kid may have been doing his bit during that time, from the 'comfort' of his station. Dunno fer sure, cuz what happens in '....' stays in '....'. Oh, sometimes he has to leave his chair and go outside to check on the equipment. Forty below anyone? Sixty below? Yeah, most winters they hit that. Some winters, forty below is the daytime high. So, you tell me he ain't workin'. Lol!

Now, my husband and son in law both work from their home offices. Most of my husband's career was working for cutting -edge ( bleeding edge, they call it) firm, and he gets call all hours of the night, even if not 'on call' . He can hear the pager from a sound sleep , and be alert and responding in seconds. Always amazes me. And, he works on a problem till its solved, no matter hour many hours. I've heard his boss come on a call and ask if he's had any sleep in so many hours, and tell him to take a break to sleep. My son in law works in security, so I don't know much about what he does, but I bet the world is a safer place because of him.

Busy, thank your son who sits on his butt for me.

My kid said the local school closed this week. Guess it must have been cold, cuz they don't close 'till fifty below. Forty-eight below, forty nine below? Nope, school is on. But fifty below is their cut-off. Heehee. Guess some kids still know how to handle a little weather, heehee. ( my son doesn't have kids, so he takes shifts for holidays, or when coworkers have kid-related events.)