What in the World Happened?
Things have changed so much since I was a young girl. We used to be able to come home from school and have mom at home to greet us. A reasonable amount of homework meant that we still had plenty of time to go out and play until it got dark without mom and dad worrying about where we were. On weekends (after breakfast and cartoons), our parents did not see us for hours at a time, yet knew we were ok. As an 8 year old, I could take my 5 year old brother to the neighbors house or to the park or wherever our little feet could take us and we were happy as could be. Mom and dad just knew where to find us if we were needed at home.
Now, I have an 8 year old and 5 year old and there is no way I can let them play outside without checking to be sure they are there every 10 minutes! We really don't know all of the neighbors, so they have to stay nearby. If they want to go to a nearby park, I need to take them and if they go ride bikes, they have to ride where we can see them. They don't want to go out and play all day on weekends because it is way too HOT. We have not resorted to TV and video games as a way to fill up their day yet, they still like to use paper, glue, scissor, markers, crayons, etc. to create their own little projects, but that is getting a little boring to them now.
When I see more and more young children and teenagers go missing in the local news, I am just glad that they are safe at home!