so random press interviewed about 4 parents and i have to listen to twaddle on the radio the whole way into work

[SheherazadetheGoat]

the premature end of childhood blahblahblah. suddenly everyone over the age of 40 grew up with a wooden hoop and stick and sang songs round the piano until the age of 21.

meanwhile the youth of today are all heading to hell in drink fuel sexually active handcart. ffs! doesn't anyone remember being young? and why does this hand wringing have to concentrate on young girls wearing make up and short skirts.

I agree that there is a much more 'sexual' atmosphere.

In the 80s, I would wear ABSOLUTELY hideous things - things that come to mind are jeans cut off by me to make shorts, worn with BLACK OPAQUE TIGHTS underneath. Mmmmm, nice look. Dog ear muffs (no really), DM boots, carefully having swapped one with my friend so we had one red and one green...blouses with shoulder pads in (at about age 13 or 14 - what was my mother thinking?), black lycra miniskirt...

I agree with Marmite, children are under such pressure to conform with their peers, particularly girls.Childhood is over much too soon.

i dont think its more sexualised now than it was in the 80's, the 80's was pretty damn sexualised

nostalgia is great isn't it.we can look back on our youth and realise that the things we were wearing although hideous and sexy at age 13 - it was all done with a naivity that we are not giving girls of the same age today.

i think we have a new nedium of the internet to incorperate into our thinking, but i think that there is a predetory element beyong just the internet that seems widespread and accepted.

it isn't taboo for a 20 year old something to befucking a 14/15 year old. and it should be!

NB*
i think kids 'played out' when i was a kid. climbing scaffolding and trees, playing british bulldog in the middle of the road. we even went into the school grounds and played there.

maybe the road was less busy ? dunno, but i think it was generally more accepted

These days - kids can't climba tree at aged 13

they get an asbo. they can't play in the middle of the road they get moved on, they can'[t climb scaffolding - they get arrested. play in the school grounds they get rrested for tresspassing

as if hats not enough - i am of the opinion that the increased government interference with youth services in this country is making it shit.

My mum worked for youth sevices and was a youth leader, our 'youthy' was a pool table and craft activities.

our youthy was football competitions and inter youthy quizzes a ghetto blaster and breakdancing

our youthy certainly was not run with a governmnt agenda, helping teens into jobs or education, teaching them 'useful' skills

our youthy didn't turf out trouble makers and 'ban' them and only keep the good kids for their stats.

i get passionate about this as i have three teens.

my boy once waited for the police becuase he broke a window - i think he was 15.

he was put in a cell,they took his jewellery and they took his shoelaces fingerprinted him and they took his DNA. it ws an accident.

overkill? i even got a solicitor - jesus.

i told him to run fast next time and not be so god damned honest.

my other boy said to me aged 13/14 " am going to xxxx's house, we aregoingto climb trees over at xxxxx place"

i had to tell him that actually he would get arrested - so not to bother becuase at his age they would put him in a fucking cell, take hs fucking shoe laces, and his fucking DNA - for climbing a fucking tree.

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