Things you did as a kid/adult years ago that would seem unsafe nowadays

[Clockworkhigh]

Okay, for starters I personally believe that in 2012 we are more paranoid than we have ever been. But I don't think we are any less safe than when I was growing up in the 1980s. I was born in 1980 and there are things I did that might get my parents put in prison now. Maybe not, but there is no doubt my parents were never afraid of me wandering around by my self, with my friends or on my bike. Here are things that I think could have set me up with getting on UM, but it didn't of course.

- In 1991 I was at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game with my parents. My sister stayed at the hotel and didn't come. The Phillies were bad back then and there weren't a lot of fans sitting up on the upper deck. After the game I wanted to wander around the upper bowl and walk around the whole stadium. My parents told me to go ahead and they'd be sitting at their seats waiting. I was almost 11. When I returned they were gone from their seats. To top it all off the upper bowl was virtually EMPTY with people. The game was long over, all I saw was a hot dog vendor. None of the concessions were open. Then out of sheer luck I see these two cops walking down an escalator. I yell at them and they came over and eventually they reunite me with my parents who went to the info center at the stadium. It turns out an usher kicked them out of their seats despite their pleas that I was still wandering around. Then they looked for me, couldn't find me and found the info booth. Strangely enough at that time I was so self sufficient that my parents didn't feel at all concerned about walking by myself exploring, and neither did I.

- I would ride my bike everywhere. All over the city we live in (200,000 people). I would be gone for an hour or two or even more without even telling my parents where I was going. I never felt threatened but I biked EVERYWHERE! In familiar places, in unfamiliar places so I could learn the street names. And I always knew my way back. Again, not me or my parents were worried. But I was a kid and anything could have happened.

- One of my friends lived 5 minutes away from me. No big deal. The only things was he lived across a big large school field from me. At night I would always leave his house and walk across the field - at night - and thought nothing of it. There were houses around the school, but if you were yelling for help they wouldn't have heard you. All there was would be maybe a couple lights from the school and from a far distance the street lights.

So here's the question. I personally don't think we were wrong back then because our parents let us do those things. There were no cell phones, your parents called you in from their front porch. There certainly wasn't the paranoia then.

But if you allowed your kids to do that stuff nowadays would you be an unfit parent?

Name other things you did as a kid or even as an adult years ago that you would deem unsafe today.

[scc1222]

riding in the back of a pickup truck,but what does this have to do with UM?

[SheRaaa]

When I was in elementary school, my little girlfriend and I would hang out at our older brothers' football games. They were usually on Friday nights, and our parents let us run all around the football stadiums by ourselves. We'd go wander the parking lot, hide under the bleachers, go sit on the opposing teams' bleachers, etc.

It doesn't seem that unsafe, but the Morgan Nick case reminded me of why a lot of parents probably wouldn't let their kids do that nowadays.

When my friends and I were in middle school, our parents would drop us off at the public swimming pool and then come get us when we were done. Again, I'm not sure if a lot of parents would do that nowadays.

Also, when I went away to college, I attended a school in Washington, DC. I worked till about 11pm at a hotel, then I would walk back to my apartment, alone. It was quite a long walk, too, but ther was no subway line directly to it, and I was so poor at the time I literally couldn't have afforded it, anyway. I also would wear my headphones and have them blaring. VERY stupid. I'm shocked nothing at all ever happened to me!

[Clockworkhigh]

Originally Posted by scc1222

riding in the back of a pickup truck,but what does this have to do with UM?

Lots, if you want it to be. You can tie things together with a UM case of someone who did the same thing. Or just talk in general about the changes in our society and the paranoia that surrounds us today

[tiredmike59]

I did a lot of things when I was a kid, but that was before the world became a toilet.

[catlover79]

When my siblings and I went places with our grandparents, they would put the seat down in their station wagon so we kids could sprawl out while they drove us places. No seat belts, and here we were in the back of the station wagon bumping around. If this was today, my grandparents most likely would've been in pretty hot water!!

[duckie]

Growing up as a teen, my friends and i would hitch hike to the store or mall. I wouldnt do it now for nothing.

[UMFaninMD]

One day back in 1989 I walked to my mom's house after school, alone, on a wooded path that was a shortcut. It's something I wouldn't do now, even in the middle of the afternoon.

[scc1222]

Originally Posted by Clockworkhigh

Lots, if you want it to be. You can tie things together with a UM case of someone who did the same thing. Or just talk in general about the changes in our society and the paranoia that surrounds us today

ok,I'm game then. only other thing that comes to mind right now is the way kids stayed home without an adult present..most parents would never even consider that nowadays.

[Hasho]

My neighbourhood was pretty safe, everyone knew each other and it was all good.

When I was 10-11 years old, couple of Germans started a business nearby and they made gravestones and sold it.

For some reason me and my friends decided to throw stones and appels at them. From where we stood, the store was couple of meters down, so we stood pretty high up the ground and they were underneath us. We threw things at them for couple of days, and every kid in the neighbourhood joined in. One day some of the older guys went down to the store and starting throwing things. We didn't expect them to be there but one guy suddenly popped out of nowhere with an axe and chased one of the older guys.

Then one time me and the kids where throwing things at them, and he suddenly popped up right next to us to scare us. We ran like **** but he didn't come after us or anything.

Once I was alone, I was just standing there and looking down at the place, and he came outside of his store, and he saw me. For some reason he started waving and I waved back. Then he yelled out: Come down here!

Here I had terrorized the guy for weeks, and he had chased another guy with an axe... And now he was telling me to come down to his place, ALONE. No one knew even knew where I was.

For some reason I decided to go down. I don't know why I did it, but I did it.

I go down and the guys speaks English. I was 10-11 at that time and didn't speak so well English, but I managed to have a conversation with him. He shook my hand and said let's go inside. I am going to show you around. Till this day I don't know why I took the risk, but I went inside with him. It was a pretty cool place and he showed me what they did there and was cool and everything. I regretted terrorizing him for so long, and he was all cool about it. Then I went back home.

Thankfully nothing happened, he could have been a psycho who abducted me or something.

[Schmoopie]

The sad thing is that even walking to school alone is dangerous these days. I lived a long way from my high school and junior high and I walked home quite a bit. But now you hear about kids disappearing at bus stops and so forth. So scary! Makes me very happy that I don't have kids.

[scc1222]

yes I recall the days when ppl left their doors unlocked,didn't lock up their lawnmowers and things,left their keys in the car w the door unlocked,and even left the car running to go inside the store for a minute..things you would never consider doing now.

[Clockworkhigh]

Originally Posted by Schmoopie

The sad thing is that even walking to school alone is dangerous these days. I lived a long way from my high school and junior high and I walked home quite a bit. But now you hear about kids disappearing at bus stops and so forth. So scary! Makes me very happy that I don't have kids.

But is it any different now than, say, the 1980s? Kids got abducted then too. In 1991 Jaycee Dugaard got abducted right from her bus stop with her stepfather watching. Is it really any safer today than 30 years ago? I'll agree things were probably safer in the 1950s. Not that a kidnapping never happened, but there was much more faith between your fellow man and people freely left their babies, cars and children unattended and thought nothing of it because everyone did that.

But I don't think we are any different today than the 1980s. We are just more paranoid.

[WishfulDreamer]

Sometimes I still take wooded paths, but I never do it alone anymore. I went on a visit to England and got followed when I went into a meadow and had to run like hell. I'm a young woman and really thin so I don't have a lot of muscle. I understand that it makes me more of a target.

As a kid I used to walk around the neighborhood alone all the time.

I used to stay home alone a lot as a kid. The Jeanine Nacarico case TERRIFIED me when I was ten years old because that was her age and I looked a little similar to her as a kid.

One time when I was five I walked away from the elementary school summer program and went to a friend's house when I didn't know her family or anything about them. We walked away from the school to do it. It seemed so nonchalant then, but now I picture how vulnerable two five-year-olds must have looked!

[Schmoopie]

Originally Posted by Clockworkhigh

But is it any different now than, say, the 1980s? Kids got abducted then too. In 1991 Jaycee Dugaard got abducted right from her bus stop with her stepfather watching. Is it really any safer today than 30 years ago? I'll agree things were probably safer in the 1950s. Not that a kidnapping never happened, but there was much more faith between your fellow man and people freely left their babies, cars and children unattended and thought nothing of it because everyone did that.

But I don't think we are any different today than the 1980s. We are just more paranoid.

No, I completely agree with you but what I was thinking is that if I had kids I'd be a lot less likely to allow them to walk to school these days. Just sayin...