To feel nostalgic for lost childhood?

[averylongtimeago]

I was feral as a child, I would head out after breakfast at the weekend or holidays with a group of friends and just go. There were 5 of us, ranging in age from 10 to 6, all girls. If we could scrounge the bus fare we went to the park, glorious days spent tree climbing, dam building and den making. If we had no money we roamed the neighbourhood (inner city) and were undoubtedly an unmitigated nuisance. We were the queens of knock and run! We scrumpt for apples, we made trollies, we sledged down frozen streets on tin trays, we joined with others for huge games of street rounders.
Eventually we would crawl home, filthy and hungry.
My grandchildren can't do this. It is not safe, they are escorted from home to school to after school clubs. There are too many cars, too many strangers and too much risk and I feel sad for them.

Just me then, sorry about my nostalgia!

There isn't more risk.

No I don't think there is, but parents think there is so children are kept in much more.
Would you allow your children to have the freedom I did?
What did you used to get up to that would make a millennials hair curl? We

I think @sacreVert is right. Perhaps having 24 hour rolling news and an entire world at our fingertips feeding us unpleasant and scary stories 24/7 make things appear riskier than they were.

"What did you used to get up to that would make a millennials hair curl?"

Work hard.

Yep @sacreVert all millenials are lazy and never do any work
Are you one of those who believes that presenteeism is the same as efficiency and productivity?

Yes I think you are both right.
My dc were off out on their bikes when ever they could, but my friends children seem to be escorted everywhere, even a trip to the shop is a rarity.

"Work hard" , hmmmm. Well my now DC and their spouses all work very hard, thanks.
I was thinking along slightly less serious lines, perhaps I should have put "lighthearted" in the title?

My children take themselves to the park and play out with their friends. They aren't as feral as I was but then neither are they as neglected and ignored. I'm fairly pleased with the balance.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/lazy-little-shs-headhunter-blasts-12372459

Is that you @sacreVert?

I agree that it's sad.

Whether there's more risk or not is kind of irrelevant (and there is more risk from a traffic safety pov if nothing else). The culture in many areas has totally changed. Roaming the neighbourhood isn't much fun if no-one else is doing it.

I read a good article about how important unsupervised, peer to peer exploration (like you describe in the OP) is to developing maturity and emotional resilience. It's a shame that it's gone.

No.

My dc do all that.

I think this probably does exist in small pockets still op but you have to either live in a tight knit community or the countryside.

My children didn't want to roam like I did. I think the whole culture is against it, even if some kids still have the potential to be more free.

Which is sad

If I let my 6 year old roam free in my inner city area she would be squished by a car within a week tops.

There are a lot more cars now than there was when I was a child. It is hard enough to cross a street safely as an experienced adult. No fucker stops to let pedestrians cross, and even at traffic lights so many drivers go through on the red light/green man.

Things have changed since you were a child. Some things are safer, some things, such as roads and traffic, really are more dangerous.