Tis true we have become far more litigious than we used to be, no wonder with all the ads for insurance companies and lawyer ads saying
'Have you had an accident at work?'
I agree that schools are afraid and also, I suppose we are a more fear conscious nation for our children, fear they will be hurt, abducted and so, want to hold them close because of what we see on the media. We are perhaps too over protective now. Isn't it sad that today a child can't go out on a bike without an adult, I remember cycling out and about on mine, my legs and face brown and drinking water from a bike bottle thinking myself the bees knees.
I remember the days when we kids would go out to play in the mornings, nip home for a buttie and then out again. I can remember hearing my mother shouting my name a field away or a block or two away when it was time to come home for tea and bed. In the school hols it seemed sunny all the time and even in the snow we would be clad in wellies and wearing ld soaked mittens and rag arsed back sides from slidding on bits of wood or old trays down the snow drifted roads.
We were lucky I suppose in that way. My mum's warning to me was never speak to strange men and don't take sweets from anyone.
I remember laughing with some of my friends when a man flashed in his crubby old raincoat in the park, it wasn't scaring just funny. nowadays not really funny of course and certainly could have been much worse.
