{"id":11455,"date":"2011-08-09T14:22:06","date_gmt":"2011-08-09T21:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/momservations.wordpress.com\/?p=11455"},"modified":"2011-08-09T14:22:06","modified_gmt":"2011-08-09T21:22:06","slug":"how-did-we-survive-super-stretch-armstrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/momservations.com\/index.php\/2011\/08\/09\/how-did-we-survive-super-stretch-armstrong\/","title":{"rendered":"How Did We Survive Super Stretch Armstrong?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Momservation: <\/strong>It is impossible to go through childhood without running into the back of a parked car on a bike.<\/p>\n

\u263a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u263a\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u263a<\/strong><\/p>\n

I just let my kids ride off to the neighborhood creek. With bike helmets, closed-toe footwear, a phone with GPS, strict orders to call me if they go anywhere else, check in every hour with a phone call, hand sanitizing wipes, a lunch I made for them, two gallons of sunscreen and bug repellant applied and my stomach in knots worrying if they\u2019d be okay unsupervised three blocks from my home.<\/p>\n

My God, who have I become?<\/p>\n

I was the kid who grew up at the creek, walking barefoot among the broken glass bottles, my mom unaware of my whereabouts just that I was \u201coutside\u201d and who didn\u2019t care as long as I was home by dark, came home to eat if I got hungry, running all the way home bleeding if I got hurt but just to get a BandAid not to tell Mom for fear she wouldn\u2019t let me do the stupid thing again that hurt me, no bike helmets, no sunscreen, just complete and utter freedom to be a kid.<\/p>\n

And yet, I survived to tell about it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m the first to admit how ridiculously overprotective I\u2019ve become of my kids, but I am in good company with this generation of ours. Let\u2019s take a little look back at the raising of children then and now:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

THEN<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

NOW<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Spent all summer barefoot, dodging broken glass and hot asphalt, got new shoes when new school year started<\/td>\nTevas for creek walking, closed toed shoes for biking, sneakers for running around, cleats for soccer and baseball, cute flip flops to match outfits<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Toys that could poison us like the goo in Super Stretch Armstrong <\/a>and the lead in Marvel comic figurines, choke us with small pieces like Barbie shoes and Light Bright pegs, or maim us like the Green Machine<\/a> \u2013 perfect height for coming down a hill and wedging yourself under a parked car<\/td>\nRegular recall notices on toys because someone somewhere somehow used a toy not for which it was intended and their parents sued. The most dangerous part of toys now is their plastic packaging. Safer just to stay inside and play video games<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Telling your parents where you were going meant \u201coutside\u201d<\/td>\nKids with cell phones with GPS for regular check in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Parents didn\u2019t care what you were doing as long as you were back by dark<\/td>\nPlaydates are scheduled, friends screened, activities planned, booked every season for a sport<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If you were hungry, you would come home to eat something. If you were thirsty you drank from a neighbor\u2019s hose.<\/td>\nMom packs snacks, water, Gatorade, juice boxes, for fear of child feeling hungry or thirsty. Kids can\u2019t miss a meal, must be home for breakfast, lunch and dinner representing every major food group<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wore the same \u201cKeep on truckin\u2019\u201d tshirt and cut off jeans all summer\"\"<\/a><\/td>\nOutfits from Abercrombie<\/a> and Aeropostale<\/a> so kids won\u2019t feel left out, pair of shorts for every day of the week, can\u2019t go out of the house with stains and unmatched<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Got around on a hand-me-down bike or roller skates. Walked or took the bus if it was out of the neighborhood.<\/td>\nChoice of new bike, roller blades, Razor scooter, RipStik,<\/a> or electric scooter, otherwise Mom will just drive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mom would kick you out of the house and lock the door rather than let you watch TV all day<\/td>\nIf Mom kicks you out and locks the door your neighbor will call CPS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If you were looking for someone to play with you walked down to their house and knocked on their door<\/td>\nYou call, you text, you email, you instant message, you check on Facebook, or your mom arranges playdates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Neighborhood games of kickball, Wiffle ball, red light green light, mother-may-I and hide-n-seek<\/td>\nNo one\u2019s outside playing because everyone\u2019s inside playing video games by themselves<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A look back at raising kids Then & Now and how we parents of the 70’s survived an unsupervised, danger-filled, glorious childhood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,165],"tags":[500,501,502,2,503,504,86,3,5,485,28,505,506,507],"class_list":["post-11455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parenting-2","category-parenting-humor-2","tag-abercrombie","tag-aeropostale","tag-childhood-of-the-70s","tag-family","tag-free-range-kids","tag-green-machine","tag-kelli-wheeler","tag-kids","tag-momservations","tag-overprotective-parenting","tag-parenting-humor","tag-past-and-present-parenting","tag-ripstik","tag-stretch-armstrong"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Did We Survive Super Stretch Armstrong? - Kelli M. Wheeler<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/momservations.com\/index.php\/2011\/08\/09\/how-did-we-survive-super-stretch-armstrong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Did We Survive Super Stretch Armstrong? - Kelli M. Wheeler\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A look back at raising kids Then & Now and how we parents of the 70's survived an unsupervised, danger-filled, glorious childhood.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/momservations.com\/index.php\/2011\/08\/09\/how-did-we-survive-super-stretch-armstrong\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kelli M. 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