When I was a child, about 10 years old , we lived in a small town at the base of some foothills.  On the Saturday morning I would pack a small rucksack with a sandwich and a drink, I would put the lead on my trusty little dachshund,  and head up into the hills.

Not once did I ever give a thought to the fact that I was about 2-3 miles away from home,  all alone except for my yappy wee dog. We would cross small creeks and walk through wooded  areas, or close to waterfalls ,  eventually heading home going through slippery leafed declines.

We live on 2 acres  and I panic when I cant find my children ,  admittedly they are a little younger than I was when I went on my adventures. I don’t have confidence that they will make good choices and not leave the fenced yard.

Are children less adventurous now, or are we as parents holding them back for fear of what we hear ( and know for fact) ,in the media ?

I don’t remember hearing much about children being harmed when I was a child, perhaps only twice I saw something in the newspapers.  I suppose it was happening, but not everything made it into the news.

Today, we take photographs of what we are about to eat, where we are, where we are going,  who we are with , and  photos of our children and pets.  We have GPS satellite navigation and everyone has a cell phone .

My sister and I used to get on a plane from Edinburgh to Singapore ,unaccompanied, aged 14 and 10. We had no communication with our parents until one of them laid eyes on us at either end.  We were never scared , and we relied on each other  for company and comfort (  when we weren’t arguing ) .  The worst thing that could happen to us, in our opinion, was for the traveler next to us to speak to us, especially if it was a male.

We grew up very quickly then and I’m not sure that this generation is doing the same. Heads down in electronics , and always with the hand held game or phone in hand or within reach.

But, that being said, I do know where my children are .

Gone are  the days, it seems ,  when we played outside until it was dark and we knew then it was time to go home .  All your mother had to do, was yell your name at the top of her voice  and you start running !  She didn’t know where you were , but she knew she could find you with one screaming tone from our front door  . Neighbors were allowed to tell  you off , and heaven forbid they called your mum (  on a rotary phone ) !

Looking back those days were great, innocent and fearless .

I wish such things for my children but believe they may be gone. I am very much a ‘look forward ‘ kind of person , and I hope they never look back and regret never looking up from those electronic gadgets.

Being a kid was fun ….at times. I am happier being 45 though as I have money , wine and my own kids to torment!  😃