Paradise lost?

I wish I was seven again. Yes, seven was the perfect age for me; no illness, parents still together and happy. There was the nasty big brother, but can't have everything. Weekends were the best, when I'd willingly be up by 8 o clock (tell me an adult who happily does that?!) and downstairs, curled up on the best spot on the sofa in front of the cartoons and kids TV that makes me cringe nowadays. How I had to force myself to wait till 10 before I could run upstairs and wake my dad, the boiled egg for breakfast in that special little egg cup of mine that turned the egg into Humpty Dumpty.

Life was simpler then, and easier; of course it was, what do you have to worry about when you're that age? I loved those early years of my life, I wish I could rekindle some of that lovely bright joy to now. Every kids deserves those paradisal childhoods, but I'm wondering, are they being lost?

I've seen society change a lot even in my lifetime. Constantly I'm hearing, for example, about childhood obesity, and there are initiatives to improve school dinners and stop crips eating unhealty food. But that's not what's doing it. Of course, there were the fat kids when I was little, but obesity? No, that was something I never encountered. And I think the reason is how we lived. We played, played in the old fashioned way, not exercising our thumbs on games consoles.

I have a friend who's a teaching assistant, and I was incredulous to hear some of the things that go on there. For instance, in the winter, children who didn't have hoods on the coats weren't allowed outside; and when there was snow, they weren't allowed out at all! Preposterous, utterly. Snow is one of those enchanting wonders. You may grow up to loathe the stuff, but it's magical to children, a true wonder, especially when you first encounter it in its purest form. Playing in the snow, throwing snowballs and getting them in your face, and doing it for so long that your hands go numb and you're so cold you want to cry, that's a right of passage. Ok, maybe we can dispense with the last bit, but robbing kids of the childhood magic of the snow?

It's a crime, and unfortunately sums up quite a lot of faults in today's society. But it goes deeper even than the health and safety brigade. It wasn't just in the playground we used to play, but outside in the streets. Every day I'd be out, climbing trees, riding my bike, having the time of life, as it indeed turned out to be. But that's a rare thing these days, and I can understand that; I think right now I wouldn't want my children playing in the streets beyond my sight, and that's because I'd be afraid. There are gangs roaming the towns, child murderers and paedophiles lurking on every corner, even children turning on other children in the most horrific way. Parents are simply too scared of letting their kids out into this dangerous world, they'd much rather have them sitting in front of a TV screen and being safe than risking it. I would be the same, I have no doubt. Whether society has really changed in the two decades of my life, or we're just made more aware of these bad things, I don't know, but either way, how sad is it? How truly sad that this generation of children, and who knows how many more, are going to miss out on all those experiences that I wouldn't change for the world.