Not saying the new ways aren,t good but something seems to be missing.We used to make hay as a community and had meals etc together.I still think thats why we,ve grown apart.Take care Dave
We still visit with folks, help our neighbors, attend school functions, church functions, fish fries, beer, etc... we also live longer. I work with my co-workers all day and spend evenings with my family and/or friends. 50 years ago I would have probably done the same, only different job.
I know when I was a kid during summers I would leave home in the morning, roam the neighborhood with my friends, stop at someone's home for lunch, play all afternoon and go home at night. During the school year I would be in school all day, play after school with my friends, eat dinner and spend the evening with my family.
Now, 40 years later, during the summer my kids went to day camp instead of roaming the neighborhood, but they are basically with their friends all day, eat lunch in the park, play all afternoon and go home at night. Same basic concept. During the school year they go to school all day, play with their friends after school, only it is at the school, not in the neighborhood, come home, eat dinner and spend the evening with their family. Again, same basic concept as my childhood, the only difference being they are not roaming the neighborhood without supervision.
And I actually prefer that they are not roaming the neighborhood because, quit frankly, there are a lot of weirdos out there. Back when I was a kid, if there was a weirdo hanging around, the dads would have taken care of him (if you know what I mean). Nowadays, you will go to jail for taking care of a weirdo the way your father would have. And, I suppose, there are some weirdos who were treated unfairly or misjudged. So, adult supervision is a big plus for me.
All in all, while I do wish my kids could experience some of the things I was allowed to experience as a kid (like carrying a Cub Scout pocket knife), I think they have some pretty neat experiences that I would have liked to have as a kid, like a 21 speed mountain bike and a pocket MP3 player.
