Time to "Air" the Kids

I am a child of the '70's era where children ate dinner with their family then were sent outdoors to play on the street with neighbouring kids.

We would play tag and various games that took us from one persons back yard to the others.  Then as dusk came we would hear my dad's loud whistle from our front porch to summon us home.

My kids get out after dinner, but are lucky if they can find one friend to play with (if they live on our block) as most kids are curried off to soccer, ballet or any other organized sport.  Long gone are the days where great games of street hockey or skipping games are played without a parent organizing and planning it.

I finished reading this great article that was in the Globe and Mail this week comparing the life of a 70's mother to now.  Believe me from what I remember as a kid and the pressures I feel as a today's parent, my mom had it pretty good.  Though if I were to ask her, she would defiantly believe otherwise.

True, there are parts of life today that are easier.  My mom never had a vehicle and was stuck at home and would have to wait for my dad to do any shopping.  Compare today, you would be hard pressed to find a SAHM that does not have a vehicle to herd her crew from play-dates to the zoo and baby and me classes.

The drawback is that we never get to know our neighbours.  I've lived in our current home for nine years now and I only know six of my neighbors names and from that I am not fully confident as to the names of there husbands.  (Doesn't say much for my social memory skills).

I love the quote made in the article I read.  An associate professor who has written numerous books on motherhood gave this example of when she was little growing up in the 1970's "My mother would have me in a playpen, my sister in the pram and my brother tied to the front tree" (I laughed out loud on this), "She would be inside doing the laundry, and we would be outside 'airing'".

Your would never see that nowadays.  If you see kids in there front yards without their parent present you can't help but take a second look, you will find them searching in the garage for the sidewalk chalk to help their kids learn their ABC's.

I know my mom will insist that fathers nowadays have such a greater role in their children's lives.  I would have to agree with her.  You would have never seen a SAHD (Stay at home Dad) at the park in the 1970's.  My mom would tell me stories of how she would have to feed, bath and dress us kids for bed before she would go over to her girlfriends house across the alley.  She would arrive home with the house a mess and my sister and I still awake and crying.  My dad complaining about how long she was gone. (My dad is awesome by the way).

But that was then, this is now.  Yes, we have way more freedom and choices nowadays, but with that freedom comes pressures.  The pressure of not only perfect grades for our kids but they must excel in some sort of sport be it a promising prima ballerina or NHLer.

I will take the 1970's thank you.  I would love to sit inside with a glass of wine in my hand or martini as was the choice in the 70's and hear that one word hollered from the front yard, "CAR!!"