This was in my local paper a few weeks ago. Hands up billytea, Angus if any resonates with you.

It certainly resonates with me. The only thing I disagree with:

* we played footy down at the park and not everyone got picked to play. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment;

We didn't have enough people to turn anyone away. Plus, we weren't quite that mean.

I would love to be able to play dodge ball again.

* we would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back before dinner.

Yup!

We didn't have enough people to turn anyone away.

Yes, but somebody always got picked last (e.g. me).

I'm sure that was all very character building, but I'm not sure I'd inflict it on a child today!

But all the drinking from a hose, playing outdoors, not being entirely protected from the world at large stuff, absolutely.

Um - the UK thing is exxagerated. There is a fear of crime, but my 8-yr-old nephew is out all day every day. And my Niece, who lives in Soham where there was a particularly brutal double childmurder ast summer,plays on her own as much as I did at 4. Don't confuse the fear-mongering of the Daily Mail with real life - we don't all hate asylum seekers, either.

we had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets, and when we rode our bikes, we wore no helmets;

You forgot, "We had no child seats in our cars; in fact, we sat on the armrest that folded down in the middle of the back seat, thus giving us unimpeded flight into the front windscreen in event of an accident."

the equipment seems really expensive and the pace very slow.

I know very very very little about cricket, but the equipment's pretty straight forward, isn't it? For kids to play, I mean? I know you need slightly more than you'd use for rounders, but not much. Certainly compared to X Boxes and all that stuff, anyway.

Um - the UK thing is exxagerated.

The paranoia definitely exists here, at least out in suburbia. You don't see kids playing baseball anymore unless they're wearing uniforms. I have had arguments about it with the wife of one of my best friends. She is adamant about not letting her kids out unsupervised.

Yes, but somebody always got picked last (e.g. me).

Ooo, me too, Angus! In fact, most of my best friends were similarly traumatised as kids.

Ditto on seatbelts too Fiona, they came in as an 'option' or 'add-on' in Australia in the mid to late 60's. In 'sports-mad' Australia, the 'being picked last' thing certainly felt like a hangable offence at times.

Edited to make sense.

You forgot, "We had no child seats in our cars; in fact, we sat on the armrest that folded down in the middle of the back seat, thus giving us unimpeded flight into the front windscreen in event of an accident."

I remember going on long road trips with my best friend's family. The seats in the station wagon folded down so that the entire back became this holding pen where we kids could rattle around, play games, get in fights, take naps, and so on. So much more fun than being strapped into individual seats in a minivan while watching a video with the sound piped in through headsets.

One of the things I love about my neighborhood is that the kids do go out and play in the streets and alleys after school. Usually one or two adults will be out sitting on the stoop or lounging in the back yard, keeping an eye on things.

I agree with DX-- I don't think kids are allowed outside unsupervised until they are 14 or so, at least in middle income areas.