What has happened to the kids of today?

Most of the people reading this article probably experienced the 70's or 80's when they were a kid, and if you are reading this and I wrote it, we must have survived.

Not sure how we survived since we didn't have the regulations, rules and overly protective principles of today. I can't believe I wasn't kidnapped when I rode my bike to my friend's house a few blocks away (and without a helmet!), or didn't end up in the hospital when I drank water from a garden hose and not a sealed plastic bottle. I don't recall falling deathly ill when me and 3 buddies shared the same soda and fathom this: DRANK OUT OF THE SAME CAN! Boy, did we live on the edge.

I don't blame today's youth. It has been instilled in them from birth by their parents, school systems and today's society.

I remember being picked up at school by Arthur Woods mom and having 18 other kids pile in the back of the station wagon. No air bags or seat belts and riding in the front passenger seat was a treat. Sliding on the back bench-seat of my dads Lincoln Continental at every turn made him laugh, not yell at me. We ate whatever we wanted and never got fat, because we were always outside playing. I can't recall ever asking my mom "What can I do?" We just went out after breakfast and found something to do until dinner time or until the Baseball Game of the Week was on with Curt Gowdy and Tony Kubek (and no one asked where we were, just be home by dark). We played tag, played baseball, rode bikes, hide n' seek, played bloody murder and climbed trees. We fell out of those trees, broke bones, bloodied our teeth and came home with black and blue marks from punching each other. Amazingly there were no accusations from overly protective mothers or lawsuits. It was just part of growing up and you figured out on your own not to do the same thing again.

We went outside and found friends, not chat rooms, Runescape or Toontown. We didn't need cell phones and I can't ever recall my mom dousing me with sunblock. Our actions were our own and consequences were expected. We had freedom, success, failure and responsibility and we figured out how to deal with it all, while not being protected by mommy.

We never wore our sweatshirts or coats, just tied them around our waist. I made skid marks with my bike in the street and driveway and no one yelled at me. In fact, mom would beam at me as I showed her how long a black mark I could make. Sometimes I would even watch Scooby Doo, Johnny Qwest and Land of the Lost until noon, with no screaming of: "Clean your room!", "Brush your teeth and hair!" or "Clean the basement!". I had chores and I did them, but I was treated with respect and in turn, returned the respect. Just because watching what happened to Dr. Qwest and Race wasn't important to my mom, it was to me and she understood that. Nowadays parents are so busy yelling at their kids, they have no idea what is important to them. Kids deserve respect and a parent knowing who Patrick Star, Sandy, Plankton, Mr. Crabs and Gary are is important to them and should be important to you.

Sometimes I find it hard to believe what my kids tell me goes on at school. Not inside the classroom, because I have the utmost respect for teachers (don't forget that comment when it comes to grade time for Brandon, Trevor and Alyssa) and they are vastly underpaid, but in the schoolyard.

I went to a catholic school for eight years and believe me; it was much tougher than today's schools. I had the nuns straight from Ireland and I think Sister Assumpta embedded permanent ruler numbers on my hands (God forbid if a teacher whacked a kid in today's world). That being said, we played tackle football, dodgeball, etc. and we chose who we wanted to play with us. Were there bullies, kids left out and bloodied elbows? You bet there were and it was all part of growing up. Hate to say it, but that is reality and mom and teachers are not going to be around every second to protect the kids. If one of us did misbehave, our parents sided with the authorities and we had consequences. They didn't back up their kids against the teachers or schools, imagine that! It blows me away how many parents I hear mumbling how tough their kid's teacher is, or he or she isn't fair to their child. I know my 12-year-old Brandon sometimes complains on how much homework he has, but he always seems to get it done. Do parents want their kids going into middle school being shell-shocked?

Don't get me wrong, I catch myself woosifying my kids also once in awhile. But I also beam when my kids are listening to AC/DC, going out with uncombed hair, coming home a little battered and bruised and find out that the Lone Tree golf course superintendent was chasing them as they rode their bikes to school on the golf paths.