When Children were Children
We were free to be children, not prisoners
By Sharon Hopper 

I guess I grew up In a time where children had some freedom. Oh I do not mean free from rules and obligations, like school. What I am talking about is the freedom to play in a neighborhood without the fear of being stolen or worse. 

Our parents were far more trusting of the human condition than parents are today and with good reason. However, that freedom allowed us to have fun in ways that only free spirited kids can have. Like “Kick the Can”: a game where one would kick the can and everyone would run and hide and the object was for the person who was “it” had to find another and tag the can and everyone had to come back and start all over. I remember being it for several rounds of someone beating me to the can and kicking it away and I had to start all over. Remember I said that I lived in a beach community with lots of narrow roads so we had to make limits on how far we could go otherwise the poor person who was “it” would be looking all night. And most of us honored the boundaries. 

We used to play in the streets and alleys for hours in the good weather and we would be so tired at night that we gladly went to bed and the next day would start all over again. The biggest thing was that we were able to be alone after dark or in a fun group wandering about. I cannot remember an obese person in the crowd. We were too busy to be overweight. 

Today if I had a child I would be afraid to allow my child the freedom I had for fear of my child being stolen or hurt. I understand why parents do not let their children have freedom to play like we had. It is truly a shame that our children have to live like prisoners in their own neighborhoods instead of being free to just be children.