You're right Jerry, kids aren't allowed to be kids anymore, or not for long anyway. Some friends of mine have let theirs remain children for as long as possible, but the sad truth is that the kids have to get street-wise fairly early on for their own safety, or else end up so coddled that it doesn't bear thinking about.

Long gone are the days when parents would kick the children outdoors after breakfast with the instruction not to come back until it was time for the evening meal.

Progress?

Deirdre