what things did you do as a child, that you can not let your children do?

When I was a kid we lived on a farm and we spent whole days out of our parents' sight, around the farm, in the barn, down the road at the creek, up and down the road on our bikes, across the road at the neighbours, in the bush way at the back of the farm, at the neighbours' farms. Heck, as long as we were out of our parents' hair it was all good. That was in the mid-70's to early 80's. No way would I let a kid out of my sight for that long in this day and age.

I dun have kids yet, but I can see the vast differences that kids now and kids my time have. My younger days were full of the sand, sea and playgrounds. We have lots of fun doing stuff together, having play groups. Kids nowadays, they just stick to their PCs. School has also become a chore. My nephews and nieces spend 10-12 hrs on music lessons, classes and tuitions. Hmm, I remember it was mostly play when I was studying, until the higher education phrases at least. Singapore, where I'm from, is generally a safe place, so kids do wander around safely. But nowadays, kids don't play at playgrounds anymore. Their main activities are the arcades (guys)and shopping (gals). They just come under the image that nothing is fun unless you pay for it. Gone are the days that we make merry with anything under the sun.

i had things that i did during my childhood days that i won't allow my son to do. actually i am 42 years old. i used to climb our mango tree, i climb there whenever my mother scolded me. i used to swim in the river beside our our it is too risky, it is 6 feet deep. i used to walk barefooted on rocks and running along the riverbank.

I used to play outside alot. I don't let my kids out because our house is situated in a busy street and I don't like the kids around here. They don't have manners and I don't like the way they talk. I don't want my kids to grow up around kids like that. They stay at home, if they want to play, they can anywhere in the house, garage or up in my terrace.

I agree. I am 39 and I used to walk home from my friends house(which was not far)as late as 11pm and later! No way would I let that happen. I too used to ride my bike all over town and into near by woods by myself. I would walk to Jewel which was two blocks from my home at night to get bread or my dad's newpaper. No way would I let that go on either. However, I do let my kids ride their bikes and scooters without helmets.

I'm in my early 20s with two boys, 2 and 1. It is so frightening to actually think about the differences in our childhoods. I rode my bike with no helmet, I'd never let my boys do that! I was allowed to go outside to play, and not come back until dark, with no vigilant supervision. Now, I don't let my boys out of my sight when we're outside. There are too many dangers and pitfalls, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to my kids. I'm not saying my parents were lax, they just didn't have the awareness and rampant dangers we seem to have now. The age of innocence is quickly coming to pass from children's experiences. They know much more than I did when I was their age, and I don't envy them for that one bit.

I was just thinking of this last night. When I was a kid me and my younger brother wandered all over. We lived in the inner city (well pretty darn close) of Chicago (Back of the Yards neighborhood--if you know where that is) and we were all over the place. We would go play in the school parking lot across the street, play on the tracks that ran over the street on the other corner. We played at the park at the other end of the block. Walked 3 blocks over to go to the "polish store" as we called it (little deli). I walked home from school every day in 5th and 6th grade (so I was 10/11 years old) and we lived about 5 blocks from school and I had to cross a 4 lane very busy road. When I was 12 we moved to a much nicer neighborhood. That summer I mentioned I was so bored and my dad told me to get on my bike and go explore. there were no cell phones and I was not told to check in every hour. I left in the morning and came back at dusk. I would to up to the mall with my brother on our bikes (about 3 miles down the road). We would just wander around the mall or see a movie then come home. At 16 they opened an L station a few blocks from our house and my dad took me downtown to look around. He showed me where the library was there and where the Amtrak station was (he worked for Amtrak). The next weekend I went on my own. Every weekend, almost, I went downtown for the day. I would leave around 10am on Saturday and get back around 7pm. I would just wander down State Street, looking at the shops or have lunch at Monroe Harbor and watch the sail boats (when it was warm). In the Spring I would hike up the lake shore to Lincoln Park and go to the zoo for the day and then take the bus back to the loop to catch my train home. This was in the mid 90s. I imagine if I let my kids do that (when they are that age) I will be accused of neglect. My mom also used to leave us alone all the time to go to the store. We lived upstairs from my gramma as a kid so we knew to call her if there was trouble (there never was). This was when I was 8/9 and my brother was 6/7 year old. Now if you do that your kids can be taken away. I think it sucks. I had so much fun exploring the neighborhood when I was a kid and my kids will probably never know that. Not that I am afraid of kidnappers and such but because I am more afraid of other parents interfering and reporting me to social services for neglect or something because I am parenting my kids the way I want. I really don't think the world is any more dangerous then when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s--it is just more publicized now.

I remember playing till late and spending months at my granny's place during summer holidays climbing trees and all. Now its all thing of the past. Now my son hardly gets anyu time to do any fun stuff. Even in holidays they get so much work to do that they can not spend time doing nothing and chasing squirrels. he has a fix routine playu only for two hours and keep doing hometask he gets from school. even holiday work adds to the grade so he has to do it all. we never got that muxch to do from school and no one bothered where we were. we could explore our surroundings with so much ease now if he is late I always panicwonmty let him venture out beyond the colony gates without permnission. such are the times yes such are the times. where did the carefree world we lived in disappear.

In all honesty, I don't think it's any more dangerous now than it ever was. I certainly knew of kids that got hurt by crazy adults, or who were molested as children. People are just more aware of the dangers and so more paranoid about it happening to their kid.

I wasn't brought up in where I live right now. I wouldn't recommend any kids to do what I used to do, back then in Indonesia. lol For all I know, Indonesia is a lot more safer than here, because where I grew up in Indonesia, they were very small places (suburbian areas most of the time) where people know each other. So it's very unlikely for us to do anything stupid, for they look after each other. One thing for sure I wouldn't let any of the kids to do these days is walk alone anywhere! Not recommended. (I used to do that when I was a kid)

I'm in my mid 50's and I can still remember roller skating in the street, riding my bike without a helmet, playing in the park with my friends and no adults supervising, going to the shops for my Mum, going to the cinema for Saturday morning pictures, getting on a bus and visiting my Nan, all without parental supervision. This was a time before my teens, between 5 and 10 years old. Now you can't let your kids play in the park without supervision, can't let them go to the shops alone without fear of them being mugged or worse, you worry constantly where they are and what they are doing, can't let your kids play in the streets for fear that they will be killed on the roads. What a shame modern society has come to this.

I hear you. I may not be all that old, im in my mid 20s, but there were alot of things i could do when i was a kid that i wouldent dream of letting my sons do. I used to walk around town, at 10 i could bikeride the 3 miles into our town and get a soda, or a frosty at wendys. We could go door to door when selling girl scout cookies, or wrapping paper or canned food items for school fund raisers. You cant let your kids do that, and i wouldent trust the people in my town at all. too many kids racing around in cars not watching for children. kinda sad how the world changes.

We live in much more dangerous times. Now-a-days young children get kidnapped and molested much more frequently. Folks are constantly being robbed and killed for seemingly nothing! It is not the same world we grew up in. Things have changed for the worst and I'm afraid it won't be getting any better from here on out. All we can do is hold on to those cherished memories of yesteryears and share them thru pics and story-telling.

Play outside alone, without parental supervision. Yes, my 'rents let me play outside when i was 2 years ols, play with dirt. I dont let my niece play with dirt or play outside alone, lots of germs going around.

i to used to ride a bike with no hands and something i would never let my son do that i did was slide down the stairs in a sleeping bag! i know crazy but we thought it was fun, my mom grandma and great grandma on the other hand yelled at us, and we got grounded.

i had kind of a wild but adventurous childhood!! me and my siblings used to roam around and explore the city with our friends without our parents' knowledge. we enjoyed it very much at that time but now as i have grown up i look back and see that there were many situations in which we could have troubles or accidents but luckily didn't have!! i don't have any kids now but f i'll have one someday i think i won't let him go around the town in the same manner as i used to do. i don't know if the world today is more dangerous or it has been like this since always but i assume it's always dangerous for a child to roam around free without their parents' knowledge. i love the idea of children's carefree freedom but it's really a bad world. but giving a second thought i think if a child is with the broad group of friends/siblings(as it was i my case) then there r more chances of his having some secure freedom!in that case children of today would also have a chance of a wonderful childhood because there's always something that we learn from the adventures:)

You are right! There is so much I was able to do as a child and teen that there is no way I would let my daughter to any of the thing that I did do.. This world is getting scarier then ever. And there are just so many people who would take the kids. When i was growing up it was like we didn't ever have to worry about that.It happened but very rare and it is just becoming more and more.

hello when i was in school i failed in one subject so being feared of my parents i just teared out my marksheet.then after a month or two my class teacher called my mom and asked for the signed marksheet then i was caught and then............. i would not let this happen with my child

It is sad that children don't have the freedom to roam that we did way back when. I'm fearful of letting my daughter out of the house at all. I've always talked to her about how to protect herself and be aware of her surroundings and I know I can't keep her in a cage forever. However I would like to add that it's not necessarily because there are so many more sickos now. I believe that there have always been twisted people but now because of the vast change in the way the media reports to the public and the internet we are much less naive than our parents and grandparents. We know that bad things can happen anywhere, whether on a farm or a big city. When I was a child I remember walking to school by myself one day. I was only about 6 years old and a car sidled up to me. There was a man and a woman and they tried to get me in the car with them. I tried to ignore them but they kept asking me to get in and said they would give me a ride to school. I walked as fast as I could and luckily another car came down the street and they drove away. I was lucky.

I hav done muuuch tags and graffits on walls xD