I agree with most of what you say. I disagree about the women's rights movement - but only in part. I think that it is not 'girls feeling that they have to do the same thing as the boys unless they have an excuse' but I DO think that the feminist movement put in increased power a group of people (women) who were more risk adverse (culturally? genetically?) and that a lot of these new social directions are the result of that.

If that is the case, and we can keep these risk adverse tendencies from being enshrined in stone, then the situation may resolve itself as more women take and survive more risks.

Jan

yes it is, dammit! -- j
.

Your bike downhill reminded me of my youngest son. He at about age 14 and friend sat on a skateboard together and rode it down Bennett Hill, about a 30° slope perhaps a quarter mile long. Near the bottom he tried to use his heels out front to slow them down. The immediate friction cause his legs and feet to go behind them and they both went over the front of the board face down. Fortunately the worst was skinless knees and elbows. They were lucky to still have their noses on their faces. Can anyone think of a law that might have prevented this experience? Experience is the best teacher, I know, I've experienced a good share myself. When I was about 9 I poured gasoline on a small fire. Many months later I was okay after my skin grafts healed. When I think about it I always remember my Dad, he caught me and put me out. I never wondered why he had gray hair.

I was born in the early 40's ('42). Growing up my parents didn't see me all day, I went fishing, swimming, camping, tobogganing, and walked 10 miles in the snow to and from school every day, uphill both ways, etc. You know the story. When I was around the house (behind the store) I stocked shelves at my parents grocery store, or made sausage on my dad's big grinder. He told me not to put my hand in the that big orifice where the meat went in. Yah, things were different. My 3 kids all pretty much had daylight freedom, one perhaps a little too much, but he straightened out. Now my grandkids (already young adults) too grew up with complete daylight freedom. They have always been in touch with nature, had their own guns, and real ammo. The community where they lived growing up everyone played some game where they hunted and shot each other with paintball guns (face shields were mandatory). Some of the bigger "kids" are even volunteer fire fighters and about half of them are 1st responder aid workers working for the county. My eldest son at 47 and all his friends still play these games even now with the kids off to college. There are always some newer kids to indoctrinate. It seems where they live everyone has a great time all the time. Even my wife and I are surprised that no one ever locks their doors, and no one ever knocks. They just show up, just let themselves in, and help themselves to lunch, dinner, or whatever and they all do this anytime. More often they show up with something to share, some wild meat they just killed, or some fresh fish out of the lake, or even a case of beer usually homemade. What makes this community work is that when some "hippy" shows up in the community and murders someone's cow just to get a nice roast for themselves, that intruder for some weird reason usually ends up beating themselves up or possibly even committing suicide. In any case they usually do not come back. It's really a strange phenomenon. Everyone knows the sheriff and he even joins in when he's not on duty.

I think this change in freedom and fear against growing up free is more recent than we think. Middle America seems less susceptible to the idiocy that is going on nearer the big cities and the coasts. Maybe it's got to do with larger populations, that's where most of the problems seem to start and linger. Everyone wants to tell everyone else how to live.

As an adult you would have to have survived an economic depression and seeing Hitler and the Allies destroy much of Europe. The current generation of young parents may have to endure the crucible that you were spared.
I do think that children need to be able to depend on one parent to be there for them all the time. The creature comforts and conveniences (that many two earner families think are necessities requiring both to work) are not worth the price being paid. The generation before you also wasn't subjected to as many years of public school propaganda (in most cases.) Instead many of them learned skills that helped the family and gave them experience and humility that may of us in later generations have missed.

remember the match gun? . made of a clothespin,
the thing would light and fire a strike-anywhere kitchen
match about 10 feet. . we used them in the boy scouts
to "attack" one anothers' campsites. . before we
cut tents down as the final surge. -- j
.

Because of back yard tackle football with no pads and helmets, today 50 years later I have a neck fused along 4 vertebrae. But, I would have it no other way if it meant that happy go lucky existence had to be traded for the nanny state.

remember merthiolate? . bactine? . mercurochrome?
there were occasions when multiple injuries made
me look pretty messed up! -- j
.

Your daughter and son-in-law, to answer
your question.

Overprotective.

Sounds like your grandchildren should counsel their parents to stop watching so much network news and other tv that is designed to increase their fear of real life.