Why we call him BOO BOO

Mark came home and told us a story he heard on his drive home: Overprotective parenting and childhood memories.  

The gist of the story was how today, as parents, we over protect our children from a "childhood" for fear of having them fall, scrape their knees or worse.  When a study was done and people were asked what their fondest memories of childhood was, many answered climbing trees, playing "ball", hide and seek,  just hanging out with neighborhood kids until dust or dinner time outdoors.  I remember lots of days outside with my siblings (there was after all SIX of us!) and esp the summers spent running rampant around my Grandparent's neighborhood when there was probably more grandkids than would be "legal" today for 2 elderly people to have to put up with :)  And Mark certainly had his fair share of hanging around town (town consisted of lots of farms!) and just PLAYING... his parents wouldn't want to probably know EVERYTHING he did...

Anyhow, I guess it made me think how overly protective I get, between Purell being with me at all times, and the baths the kids get every time they spend more than 5 minutes playing outdoors...BUT I have to say I've become more "relaxed" with Adam than with Maddie (firstborns.  As the eldest sister, Lynn can attest to having to deal with more strict rules than we did as younger children...) And with our new backyard, the money spent seems all worth it.  I certainly would like to think my kids will look back on their childhoods with fond memories of playing and having FUN vs being locked indoors in front of the TV and DVD player...and WII...but that's another story!  Hey, sometimes I just need 5 minutes to shower and if Wow Wow Wubszy or Franklin or Max and Ruby helps keep the kids preoccupied...  Oh, WE LOVE cable TV, only if for NOGGIN and SPROUT for kids! heheheee

I digress.  What I'm trying to say is our society today is not exactly like it was 50 years ago but I certainly see lots of aspects of parenting returning to the days when we weren't so freaked out about a "stranger" (aka neighbor) walking up and saying Hi to our kids...not to mention there are more "real neighborhoods" being created these days and parents are thinking "ROOTS" vs moving every couple of years just because.  I think it's also a lot easier for parents these days to make choices for our families that our parents may not necessarily have had?

But the real reason I cringe and "freak out"...

See that goose egg on "Boo Boo's" Noggin?  yeah.."Sissy threw a rock and I looked up and there it was was...OWEY!"