Episode 9 - "Go play," they said. "It'll be fun," they said.

It’s 2:00pm on a Saturday afternoon. Do you know where your kids are? Ask a parent that question today, and not only will they know where their kids are, but they’ll probably be with their child - engaged in some fun game or imaginary play or sitting on the sidelines at the soccer field, no - not watching their child’s game, watching them practice. Or driving them to and fro from one scheduled sport or activity to another. 

But asking a parent in the 80s if they knew where their kids were, you might get a response like, “Oh, they’re around here somewhere,” or even better, “We have kids?!”

That’s right, folks. Parents were not there to entertain us. Yet boredom was not allowed. We were told to, “Go play.” And play we did. From sun up to sun down, it was up to us to navigate the sexual politics of the playground, not to mention the deadly equipment, avoid pervy strangers in white vans, attempt death-defying stunts on our bikes and swing sets, and still manage to make it home alive in time for dinner. 

Today, you’ll hear about some of these adventures from the Gen X adults who somehow survived life as free-range kids.

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Image by AlexiAction from Pixabay