For the most part, I think the parents of Gen X got a bad rap as being terrible uncaring elders that pushed their kids into the streets since they had little use for them. Personally, I didn't find this to be the case. For many families during the 70's/80's it became a necessity for both parents to work to be able to pay the mortgage and keep Frankenberry cereal in the cupboard. Unfortunately, there wasn't an infrastructure in place for kids to be able to go to a "safe" after school facility with adult supervision. So basically we were given a key and told "you betta do ya homework before I get home". From the time school let out to 6:00 PM it was pretty much a free-for-all, barely more organized than Lord of the Flies. It seemed normal then to be raised by your friends as much as you were by your folks. I almost felt bad for my parents - - having been my own boss since I was ten made me less apt to listen to their advice on life (once they relinquish a bit of independence parents never recapture it).
Yeah, I definitely saw my share of trouble before high school- riot like vandalism, sex (although this was a positive), fist fights, egging cars, booze, relatively minor acts of arson, drugs (believe it or not, I said "no"), home alone during an attempted robbery (you'd be surprised how serious a thief takes a 12 year old with a revolver in his hand), slashing tires for no reason, viewing hard core pornos, et cetera...............but I loved my youth and those 'lil bastards I hung with 20 + years ago are continuously in my brain.
2 comments:
There just wasn't as highly developed a culture of fear as there is now. Deadbolts, home security systems, multiple laws defining parental obligatione -- none of that reared its ugly head 'til the urban crack epidemic. Sure, one was supposed to fear strangers and 'drug pushers,' but it just wasn't so pervasive where I was in Maryland. (My grandparents in Jersey? Now that's another story -- constant fearmongering on the local news, documenting the crumbling NYC.)
It wasn't neglect; kids were expected to grow up a little back then. Sometime, when I was in elementary school, the age for toys got extended. I remember my older cousins ditching toys by age 10 and taking up stuff like fireworks, bb guns, cars -- anything but 'toys.' Then G.I. Joe action figures came out -- none of the kids I grew up with wanted to give up toys at that point.
Funny you should mention feeling sorry for your folks after having had a measure of independence; I felt the same way. "Who needs ya, old man - I've been on my own (in the afternoons) since I was ten!"
I actually feel bad for the younger generations. Having to wear bike helmets, rubberized "protective" playgrounds, not allowed to ride their bikes to school, always on the run with school-sports-music lessons-karate-homework-go to bed, et cetera....many rarely had a moment to just chill and develop themselves by themselves.
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