Well....when I was eight years old my mother was fond of saying: "it's too nice outside to stay in the house all day" (presumably because she did not want us underfoot, which I can understand of any mother). So we went outside and "wandered" wherever we wanted--she didn't sit outside and watch us. When we weren't riding our bikes somewhere, building forts, or...doing some "urban exploration" on houses that were under construction (which was where we got the wood and the nails for the forts).
That was back in the bad old days when we persecuted weirdos and perverts instead of making them mainstream culture. Parents had more reason to worry about a stray dog biting their kid than some idiot snatching them or running them over.
I, too, used to be able to wander around my home town playing with other kids or by myself.
But, again, people likely to harm me were oppressed... I mean suppressed, unlike today where they're celebrated.
My mom and dad said, "See you at dark for dinner". Now I never see kids playing basketball, baseball, or football in pickup games like when I was young in the 1970s and 1980s.
Previous comments... You are currently on page 3.
I, too, used to be able to wander around my home town playing with other kids or by myself.
But, again, people likely to harm me were oppressed... I mean suppressed, unlike today where they're celebrated.