Girls in a Bubble

I remember growing up on a street with lots of kids and we spent many hours together riding bikes, playing football in the street, chasing each other and just doing dumb stuff. Unfortunately I've probably forgotten more than I remember but I know it was all good.

I really miss those days. The friendships that were built on the fact that these were the first people you saw when you walked out of your house and the last ones you saw before you went in for the night. And yeah we all had our own friends from school or other places but there was something about the people that lived next door or a few houses down that made it all feel like a family.

(*warning* hypocritical material below)

Now with that being said, there were some kids on the block that we didn't see much of or that didn't always socialize with the rest of us, either by choice or parental restriction and of course the rest of us had our own juvenile feelings about them. As youngsters we couldn't understand and may have even been a little offended that someone didn't want or wasn't allowed to be a member of the "family".

And now if I could go back and talk to all of those parents that kept tight reins on their kids, I'd apologize for all of the smart ass remarks directed towards them and their children. Because now I understand. When I look out my window today at the kids playing in our neighborhood, I think to myself...

"Hell nah, there's no way my girls are going out there."

I'm not saying that the kids in our cul-de-sac are on the fast track to Sing Sing or San Quentin and hopefully the adults back in the day didn't think of us that way. But I am saying that sometimes it's better to err on the side of caution and that's what my gut is telling me now.

I hate to say it because it makes me a huge hypocrite but the girls won't be as free to go outside and play as I was. Sure they can go out and play but that's why we have a fence around our backyard. Absolutely they'll get plenty of physical activity thanks to karate lessons, soccer, dancing, gymnastics and parks (with Daddy!).

I am so thankful for the way I grew up and wouldn't change it for anything and I don't want to deprive the girls of that kind of experience but times have changed are changing.


I know we can't or shouldn't raise our kids in a bubble but what if it's a really big bubble? There is a middle ground between total isolation and running amuck and that's where the girls will hang out. I grew up in the late 80's early 90's and by the time they're even old enough to go outside alone I doubt there will be ANY resemblance to those days. That sucks for them because those were great times. The silver lining is that they'll never know what they're missing. But I definitely will.