Well, when *I* was your age.......

[Cafe AmyB]

So, maybe you didn’t have to walk two miles — uphill, in the snow — to get to school when you were a kid, but many things have changed from back then to the days of your kids’ childhood. What are some of the biggest differences you’ve noticed between their lives and your life at the same age?

[fatcat0908]

Yes, there's that, and also an unhealthy fear of pushing them out of the nest to fly. My daughter in the fourth grade. We live in a safe residential neighborhood with a 25 MPH speed limit and oversized sidewalks. Her school bus is for the 4th, 5th and 6th graders. I am the ONLY parent who allows their child to walk to and from the bus stop unescorted. It's only the end of our block, what's the big deal? You would swear I was being negligent of some basic need of hers by giving her a tiny sliver of independence.

Quoting gacgbaker:

Quoting fatcat0908:

Children are much more babied these days. It's to the point now that I think it's hampering their development.

I agree- it seems like we worry about their self esteem too much instead of learning about consequences (good and bad ones)- self esteem isn't a bad thing at all, but we can't let it rule our kids lives and over focus on it to the point that consequences are removed.  

[anjones09]

A lot more electronics

[Bluetick]

Lol yup :)

Quoting mysticalmalissa:

We were bubble wrap free!!!! LOL

Quoting Bluetick:

We didn't stick to our parents like glue and we was very independent as children and young adults

[Bluetick]

We didn't have to be told a hundred times to go play lol

[Bluetick]

My dog goat and baby calves took up my time

[Hur_Kitten]

Modern baby clothes are much older-looking I think. Most people dress their little ones as mini teenagers nowadays.

They aren't expected to do as much now. Or they expect to get paid for it. A whole lot more sass.

They don't know how to do commom sense stuff like cook and clean and look after themselves until they hit their teen years, and sometimes not until they move out and figure it out on their own. (I remember being babysat by my 8 year old sister when I was 5 and our parents wouldn't have worried about us burning the house down or something).

Schooling. Most people put their babies in preschool now. When I grew up it was just Daycare. No "educational" stuff shoved down our throats at 3. Kindergarten back then was the equivalent of a modern 3 yr olds preschool. Mostly play, with some phonics and basic math tossed in in minute amounts. Deffinitely no homework or grades at that age.

Everyone's up technology's bum nowadays. Parents don't play with their kids as much now. More interested in facebook or phone apps than guiding their kids, then they wonder why their kids are so bad (I'm guilty of this too...)