Growing Up!

[Michelle]

Well it's raining here (again :( ) so I have taken the oppurtunity to give the house a good clean, and while dancing around with the mop :oops: to the radio, the dj started talking about wether it was better growing up in the 70's and 80's compared to today. The majority of people who said the 80's got me thinking 'they're right'.

When I was growing up I remember walking a mile to school, dens in the park, going out at nine in the morning and only going home if I was hungry, summers where hot, winter it snowed, the dog was one of the gang, building humungous bonfires without the police coming to tell us off, hiding from my little sis (well she was a pain in the butt then).

Nowdays I wouldnt dream of letting my girls walk anywhere on their own, its sad that they cant have the freedom that I had,but the thought of anything bad happening to them makes me feel physically sick! I dont know how much danger we put ourselves in when we were young,but I dont recall anything happening to anyone I knew,obviously there must of been the usual crimes committed against children then, we just didnt hear about them, so we didnt worry!

They're will be a day when I have to learn to let them go, but while I can keep them safe I will.
Also when I was at school there was no pressure or encouragement to stay on at school, or sit exams. I left school with the grand total of six GCSE's. My eldest daughter is due her A level results on Thursday, and the pressure the school put on them is sometimes unbelievable ( no pressure from me of course )

Oh and just cos I remembered, the song that reminds me most of my childhood is Duran Duran's Rio. :D
Waffle over, need to get back to my cleaning :lol:

[Simon]

I was just havin this conversation the other day. Things have changed a lot since I was younger too. We used to go out all day, come home (as you say) when we needed food - but as a kid you were more independant. Part of the problem I think, is that parents ARE more worried about their kids. But society in general is over protective to the point of paranoia. It's weaked us all. The media terrify us into believing that we MUST be more withdrawn, and its a shame really. But when you combine that with bad parenting and kids in gangs, the whole thing in contrast to olden days looks like a disaster.

I'd like things to be how they used to be, and I often wonder if different countries are having the same issues - or is it just what our government and our media have done to us.

[Beth]

The way things are now makes me really sad. I'm only 20 and already, the difference from when i was little, to now is staggering. :( I hate the way that my son will have to grow up, even though i'll try to make it the best it can possibly be for him.

I'd love to go and live in a self sufficient community in the middle of nowhere, but even thats almost impossible, i don't think it's possible to be completely self sufficient in this country anymore.

I do think we idealise the past too much though, if we actually went back in time i'm sure we'd realise how bad things were then too. I watched a bit of "life on mars" last night and according to OH (old man :roll: ) it's quite accurate, so as bad as it is, at least the chances of getting beaten up by the police are slightly more in our favour now. :lol:

And beacause i was always 20odd years too late, the song that reminds me of childhood the most is the Beatles "nowhere man", as i used to watch the yellow submarine at least twice a week. :oops: :mrgreen: