Life without safety net is fine

Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 15, 2003

Ah, the joy of a child.

It used to be I could settle down for a nice quiet Saturday afternoon of watching basketball or hockey. Eat when I wanted to. Grab a beverage when I wanted to. Go to the bathroom when I wanted to. Not anymore.

Saturdays with the daughter have become a whirlwind of activity. There's looking out every window, there's playing with every toy, there's eating, there's changing the diaper, there's more window watching, there's playing with the remote, there's playing with the dogs, there's more eating, there's more changing of the diaper and the chorus of activity goes on, and on, and on …

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The time has been well spent and also provided an opportunity to reflect. It's made me wonder how I've lived as long as I have, what with all I had to survive during my childhood.

My, how times have changed.

When I was growing up, my brother and I left when we got home from school and didn't return until the street lights came on. Something tells me this doesn't happen today.

We rode our bikes without helmets and lived in a home without childproof locks and gates.

We didn't have a cell phone and my mother didn't worry. In fact, a cell phone was the phone you found in jail. Now, every teenager sports a cell phone and mom and dad attempt to be in constant contact.

Growing up we would play on vacant lots and piles of debris, no one would bother us or chase us away. And when we inevitably fell and scrapped our knees and elbows, mom was there to fix things with a bottle of mercurochrome. Today, such an injury results in a trip to the hospital and $50 worth of antibiotics.

We played dodge ball and when we got hit it hurt some times. Is dodge ball even played today?

We didn't have Playstation2, or other video games, like they do today. We were outside playing cops and robbers and cowboys and Indians. And when we lost our toy guns, our fingers sufficed.

We ate cupcakes and drank soda pop and we never got fat. That's because we were outside actually playing and doing things.

And inevitably when we acted up at our best friend's house we caught a spanking from our best friend's mom. We then got home and got a whopping from our own mom, or dad. Certainly such spanking doesn't happen today, it would be child abuse.

When we fell on the loose carpet at our best friend's house and fell splitting our head wide open, our best friend's mom called our mom, rushed us to the hospital and made sure we were OK. Mom was glad for the call, because boys would be boys, and thankful it wasn't worse. Today, if such an injury occurred we would be suing our best friend's parents for their house.

When dad took us to the hockey game, we rode in the front seat without seat belts and car seats. When we got to the game, there wasn't some stinking black net obstructing our view.

When Babe Ruth Baseball tryouts came, some made the team and others didn't. Same was true for traveling hockey. Those who didn't make the teams learned to deal with disappointment.

In school, some were smart, others were not. We were forced to learn responsibility and how to deal with success and the lack thereof.

And gasp, we drank water out of a hose and not out of a fancy labeled bottle.

Somehow, through all those trials and tribulations, I made it to adulthood equipped to handle what the world throws at me.

Now, I just wonder what kind of childhood my daughter will have and how well-equipped she will be to handle the world that awaits her.

Neal Ronquist can be reached at 434-2201 or by e-mail at :mailto:neal.ronquist@austindailyherald.com