Childhood then and now – what we can learn from our parents

Yesterday I talked to a friend about how different our childhoods are compared to the lives of our children today. We had to laugh at some things, others were almost negligent. I wrote down the best facts from earlier for you and compare them with today’s time – 80s, we are coming! Oh yes, it could contain a hint of satire.

Freedom to the point!

In the past, we were allowed to play outside alone as a preschooler – and we even managed without a drinking bottle and Tupper can. We were called in for dinner and then stormed out immediately. Those who were thirsty got something for themselves, and otherwise the mums were happy to have their rest. But today? Forget it! We would never leave our tots unattended for so long, traffic and all the bad people out there! The children would also either feed themselves or die of thirst or starve if we did not keep adding our salt sticks and pinchies to them.

Nature as your best friend

My brother and I were lucky enough to live in the forest, so we were always roaming around, climbing trees, building camps, finding cool secret paths, and sometimes even getting really far away. Not an issue. I was often alone outside, my imagination had no limits and I was never bored, I was totally happy when I could play outside. But where do children have the opportunity today to try this out completely safely on their own? Everything is laid out, the places for children of adults defined and clearly defined. Those who do not live in the country can be happy that there is a playground every now and then, and elsewhere children are often a disruptive factor. möp!

Break bread – (k) a healthy snack

What did you have with you as a snack?? Hand up, who had a Tupper box? For me it was usually a simple sausage wrap in a paper bag, plus a (I repeat: a) drinking bag. For the whole school day! 150ml soda! If you were thirsty, you could drink from the tap again. It was normal back then, but today I would never never give my child anything like that. That would of course have to carry along his Tupperware, drinking bottle with water or unsweetened tea, maximum one juice spritzer. But hello. And in addition to vegan bread, there would be a larger portion of raw vegetables. There are also mums who really outdo themselves with their artistry and give the children bento boxes with cut heart bread and fruit skewers. At that time our mothers would have laughed outright.

Pets – the interactive toy

So not that you’re getting mad at my parents now. They really went out of their way to look after our pets, but at that time people didn’t know so much about animal welfare. My guinea pigs at that time were highly behavioral, were kept individually in miniature cages and cuddled for a long time. They had to go for a walk in my Barbie caravan and I regularly let them graze outside – and they never really moved away. The poor animals. but back then they were my favorite toy. Today I also see nasty children every now and then, who drag their bunnies around on leashes, but most of the time most people are aware that it shouldn’t be that way. I hope that will continue to prevail.

Entertainingprogramm? There it looked Mau

Many children in their 80s never went out with their parents because they had their friends outside to play with. The maximum was in the swimming pool. For us, the weekend meant that we all go for a walk together, take a look at a castle or, in exceptional cases, go to the swimming pool. That was of course the absolute highlight! We were often bored, but we were also able to keep ourselves busy. And today? We feel guilty when we don’t offer anything to our children.

We grind them through indoor playgrounds, fun pools, bouncy castles and what else is not there. We buy dodgy toys for them, play a lot ourselves and tear ourselves to the very least in order to provide educational support (or at least buy educationally valuable stuff). If the children get bored, we immediately have a guilty conscience and google what else there is to do in the area.

The conclusion: 80s vs. today

I have definitely forgotten one or two things in my list – what was important for you? What has become clear to me in any case: Above all, I find it a shame that I can no longer offer my children this freedom that I have enjoyed so much. The best childhood memories were this roaming outside, with friends and alone. Without parents. Without Tupper cans. Children shouldn’t feel so competent and free these days because we don’t trust them that much anymore, and that’s a real shame.

On the other hand – we live on a main street, I am almost riveted from time to time at the traffic lights. How am I supposed to let my children try it out with a clear conscience? And hand on heart, who won’t get horror fantasies if they let the kids play alone in the forest? Sure, nothing will happen, but nobody will. A pedophile could come. Or the children get lost in the forest. horror! The children almost only play in playgrounds and lose the opportunity to play with them "Nothing" too busy. My daughter can still do that, she plays with sticks and pine cones in the forest – but how long will that be?

I used to work in kindergarten for a while and in the forest week 90% of the children said that they were really bored and didn’t know what to do. That really made me think. I had to instruct them to watch beetles, balance on tree trunks, build huts. That worked for most, but others were simply disgusted with the material forest. Really blatant. These are children who only grow up with the television in the living room, for whom the playground is already in the wild.

So when it comes to these things, we can really cut a big slice from our parents – sometimes less is simply more. But what we all have in common: then as now, we want the best for our children and make the most of our opportunities. Only sometimes you can think about whether it is not a little different.

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