I grew up in the 1970s in the UK. It was similar to how you described but an urban existence. We were hardly ever at home, but did have to be back when the street lights went on. The streets were our playground and the local school playing fields (which of course are now fenced off). It’s rare to see children playing in the street now. When they do, they are labelled a nuisance. Did those people who call them so never recall their own childhood? We have had letters through the door from the council saying kids can’t play football in the street. There are fewer places for them to go. Most facilities that were free to use then are now profit driven and it costs for any activities. There are so many rules about what the kids can and can’t do and lots of fences to keep them out. My son gets turfed off the university grounds were he likes to ride his bike and hangout, as the security think they are there to cause trouble. It’s harder to be wild and that is a shame.
These are all great points. It's a cliche, for sure, but times were way different back then. I rode my bike long distances without supervision in third grade. The thought of one of my daughters doing that when they were growing up in the late 1980s and 1990s would have horrified me, much less what kids are dealing with now.
I grew up in the 1970s in the UK. It was similar to how you described but an urban existence. We were hardly ever at home, but did have to be back when the street lights went on. The streets were our playground and the local school playing fields (which of course are now fenced off). It’s rare to see children playing in the street now. When they do, they are labelled a nuisance. Did those people who call them so never recall their own childhood? We have had letters through the door from the council saying kids can’t play football in the street. There are fewer places for them to go. Most facilities that were free to use then are now profit driven and it costs for any activities. There are so many rules about what the kids can and can’t do and lots of fences to keep them out. My son gets turfed off the university grounds were he likes to ride his bike and hangout, as the security think they are there to cause trouble. It’s harder to be wild and that is a shame.
These are all great points. It's a cliche, for sure, but times were way different back then. I rode my bike long distances without supervision in third grade. The thought of one of my daughters doing that when they were growing up in the late 1980s and 1990s would have horrified me, much less what kids are dealing with now.