Life today is so different

I disagree...sort of! I think we live in a much more child friendly society these days. Back in the day, you'd see parents shouting even smacking their children on occasion and in public too; thankfully, you don't see that these days and if you do, you challenge it head on. There's far more awareness of what is right and what is wrong and far more respect for the rights of children which just wasn't the case when I was growing up.
Yes, there are far more pressures on children, more dangers it seems from modern life being the way it is but there are also more opportunities and more awareness of how important children are and of how we can, collectively and individually, nurture them successfully.

For many children, now and then, the darker side of life is in the child's home and immediate environment. They are living it.

I used to switch off the tv quickly after the 5 min childrens' program on at 5.40 (magic roundabout, rhubarb & custard etc) so that my children didn't see/hear the news, but today I am not sure how many parents bother to protect their little ones. . I was quite shocked when I saw 'gogglesprogs' at what quite small children were watching. When my children were teenagers they did watch some soaps but I watched with them and let them know that certain behaviours were not common or acceptable, and that real life was not like that - but 30 years on these programs are much much more violent and immoral. I know you can't wrap them in cotton wool, but it seems a shame to expose children to the dark side of the world any sooner than absolutey necessary.

My mother came from a family with two generations of young widows. From bitter experience she knew that a woman could not rely on a husband to keep her from want. She was very keen on her three daughters being educated and having professions. As she said, in an offhand manner, marriage isn't a career, most people get married.

She was offered an opportunity to return to work on a part time basis when my youngest sister started nursery - and she grabbed it and worked for the rest of her life. She worked because she wanted to, not because she needed the money.

I am not so sure our life was quite so innocent, it just wasn't sexual. I was born during the war and the 1950s were awash with books and newspaper stories of the horrors of the Holocaust and the dreadful treatment of British PoWs in prison camps in the Far East. It was impossible to grow up then without reading detailed descriptions of everything that went on in the concentration camps in Germany. Bullying school was accepted as part of life.

No anti-bullying policies or even care about the bullied, you just had to tough it out. Both DH and I experienced vicious physical attacks from school bullies.

Life was different then, certainly, but no better, just bad things now were better then and bad things then are better now.

My mother felt like that too. Fortunately, my father didn't and encouraged me to get as much education as my talents would let me and then go out into the world and carve myself a space. I still ended up getting married and having children, but by that time I had done and seen more than my mother would in a lifetime. My Dad left school when he was fourteen. DH and I have adopted his attitude with my own children and I hope GS will be encouraged to do the same. I am glad I wasn't burdened, as a parent, with issues regarding social media. It is not something I envy parents these days. DS's boys have negotiated it without trauma and I hope GS (who, at nine, has not yet been exposed to these things) will too, but cyber bullying and other nasty practices are too awful to contemplate. As you say, life is different.

Teetime, my mum was exactly the same. A 1950's housewife who believed that a woman's place is in the home. I was stopped from higher education because I "didn't need it. You will meet a nice boy and get married and have children then it will all be wasted!" It was wrong for mothers to work and neglect their children. Wrong to put children in a nursery for your own ambition. Wicked neglectful mothers. And equal pay was an outrage, because men need more pay to foot the bills, pay mortgage etc. why should women want equal pay?
But mum, suppose I don't get married?
Don't be ridiculous, of course you will!!
I envy the young of today who have the freedom to be themselves, go off on a gap year, etc. mother would have had a blue fit if I wanted a gap year!!

But I guess our children/GC will be asking the same question in 60 years.

I agree vampirequeen parents now seem unable to say NO to their children boundaries are vital for life ahead. There are so many terrible things children today are exposed to, I am so glad I don't have to do direct parenting any more. Of course there are those parents who struggle against the tide so well done to them.

I feel sorry for children. They see and hear so much they don't understand.

There is supposed to be a watershed on TV but it doesn't stop the soaps showing stuff that is inappropriate.

The internet opens up a world that can be very disturbing.

A lot of parents forget they're parents and try to be their child's friends. This means they share inappropriate confidences and find it hard to say 'no'.

Children are over sexualised at an early age. Little girls, in particular, are dressed far too old for their age.

Children get confused with no boundaries. They need support and guidelines.

Why won't this thing type "deems"?

Children don't need to be exposed to all the troubles of the world. They can still grow up in innocence. My 9 yr old GD still believes in fairies, although she is wavering. DD does not pay the tv licence, therefore they only watch what she They suitable on catch-up tv. She home educates the whole family after finding that her boys were being sidelined in class because they have high functioning autism. They all have tablets, but they are locked out of Google etc and have to ask DD when they want to find out about something of interest. They have outside interests, go to the home ed. group each week and meet their friends, go to Art Club and swimming, they aren't sheltered in any way, just happy children.

It is very different agreed but I am glad some things have got better. My mother expected me to forgeo further education (girls don't need it) get married asap and give her grandchildren- disaster I don't think people put that kind of pressure on the young these days - they can have a bit more fun, get an education, travel and control their own lives. Of course the down sides are massive but I was just pulling out some of the positives.

Their was a drama and they mentioned "Boat at Boatface", but the substituted the words c**t at c**tface.

Did anybody else notice it I can't remember what it was called but I remember that.

Life today is so different