Childrearing
11 Times In My 1990’s Childhood When CPS Should Have Been Called
My very first post on Mommyish was about how I feel very little need to helicopter over my kids. This is a prime example of my overall credo in parenting- less is more. Let them learn. Let them screw up a little so they know how to fix things one day and are not looking to me to make all of their problems disappear. I truly believe that children need more freedom than our current pearl-clutching parenting culture allows them- probably because I grew up in a pretty relaxed environment and totally survived. Eff that, I thrived.
Looking back, there is nothing I question about the way my parents let me go as a kid but it is sort of a miracle I survived. It would seem that parenting has evolved in the last 20 years or so and now, this free-wheeling method of parenting in 2014 is frowned upon in some circles. If saying the F word can get you arrested, then anything is possible. It really made me think about how it would be if my 1990’s childhood were happening in current times. Here are 11 times in my 1990’s childhood where CPS should have been called:
1. That Time I Built My Own Fort In Third Grade
I was a pretty industrious kid and so were my brothers and neighborhood friends- we stole a real hammer and several real nails from my dad’s tool shed and used super sketchy-looking pieces of wood we found in the creek behind our house. The creek that was at the bottom of a super steep embankment where we could have tumbled and broken our necks and where our parents would never hear our screams. It was awesome.
2. The Days Where I was Eight And Came Home Alone
My mother worked a 7am-3:30pm schedule and our bus dropped us off around 3:50pm. We had a house key and were home alone for approximately 15-20 minutes every day starting when I was around eight or nine. It’s amazing no one died!
3. All Those Times Where I Rode My Bike A Full Mile
We lived in a semi-rural area on a few acres- the village was a mile down the road. I was probably 10 or 11 when my parents started letting me ride to the village on my own so I could be with my friends. And our road had barely any shoulder and cars went way too fast. Frankly, it is amazing that I was not pulverized on my pink Huffy.
4. When I Scaled Questionable Playground Equipment With No Supervision
I was a playground junkie and total maniac. I was not afraid of anything and would climb up any rusty piece of metal I could get near. Now, playgrounds are made of foam and dolphin tears. No more dare devil hour at recess.
5. All Of The Questionable Swimming I Did
I grew up in a town with a lot of little nooks and crannies- plenty of wooded areas with a shallow creek to play in or float down lazily in a tube. We also went to the community pool alone pretty often. Now, parents would be publicly stoned for letting their kids go swimming anywhere by themselves. Hell, my husband and I were chastised by a lifeguard at a local beach recently for letting our very capable 6-year old swim into water up to her shoulders without us being right next to her. Obviously, we belong in Parent Jail.
