How do you parent compared to the way you were raised?

A friend from way back, posted on FB recently about how a bunch of us snuck into Fast Times at Ridgemont High when we were in third grade.

I immediately thought, "No, we were at least 10 at the time." but I looked up when the movie was in theaters and I would have been 8 at the time.

My oldest is 8. His life is so much more sheltered than mine was. I basically did whatever I wanted at that age. I can't even imagine my kids doing any of the stuff I did at that age, and I was a pretty good kid. I don't think I ever got into major trouble, but I hung out with some kids who did and I was exposed to some things that didn't seem like a huge deal at the time, but would seem insane by today's standards.

I don't consider myself a helicopter parent, but things are done so much differently today than they were 30+ years ago. Nobody drops their kids off at practice, all the parents stay, and to some extent, we're expected to stay.

I actually got chastized by a neighbor over the summer because my kids (7 and 8) were playing outside in our yard while I worked. I'd look out the window every 20 minutes or so and we live in a really nice neighborhood and they were out there for about an hour and I went out to bring them in for lunch and she said, "I can't believe you would let your kids play outside without supervision."

It's just crazy to think about.

 

That's funny. My son is a high school freshman and we're getting ready to go see his first R-rated movie (Fury).

My parents took me to Revenge of the Nerds. I was 12. I saw Stripes in a hotel on HBO when I was 10. And since I was the only one who knew how to work the VCR we used to rent for various weekends, I saw any damn movie I pleased.

 

For starters, I don't blow two packs' worth of cigarette smoke in my son's face every day.

 

What's with parents staying when kids go to birthday parties? My almost 11 year old cousin just started going to "drop off" parties. Before this year, if she went to a party, mom and/or dad would go, too, and hang out with all the rest of the parents.

 

My first R-rated movies were Trading Places and Fast Times. So I guess I grew up thinking every woman should have a rack like Jamie Lee Curtis or Phoebe Cates.

My kids have seen a handful of PG-13 movies. They saw Avengers, Jurassic Park and one of the Spiderman movies. They've seen the Raiders of the Lost Ark trilogy and I think at least one of those is PG-13. I think I was 9 when I saw Scarface for the first time.

 

Yeah, I don't emotionally abuse my wife and kids the way my father did.

My kids seem to be pretty happy. I'm not sure I would have fallen into that category when I was their age.

 

My son is still too young to make most of these comparisons, but you damn well better believe I'm not sticking around to watch practice. Practice?! Practice?! We sittin' here talking 'bout practice?

 

First R-rated movie: Police Academy

As for me, when my kids were younger and had birthday parties, we wanted the parents there, both to socialize, and to keep an eye on their little charges.

 

Mine is only 2, so we are still a few years away...but I think if other parents are hanging out, I would stay just to be polite and socialize (unless I had another plan for that time), it wouldn't be because of my kid and I wanted to watch over him.
I mean, that seems normal. As long as they aren't putting car keys into a fishbowl or anything...

 

I doubt many (any?) helicopter parents do.

 

I coach my 5-year-old son's soccer team. We recently got an email from the recreational director that began with "Please tell your parents that we do not recommend any parent dropping their child off to practice." It ended with "YOU ARE NOT BABYSITTERS..."

We used to get dropped off everywhere. Skating rink, Putt-Putt, the movies.

 

My wife and I hated it when parents tried to stay at birthday parties when our kids were younger. We had enough on our plate and the last thing we wanted was to have to also socialize with anyone.