What seems to be missing from Halloween in America?

[MacPhantom]

Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes. Good ones, I mean. They used to be sooooo good, and such a big part of Halloween. Now they sometimes air in November.

[Murfreesboro]

Wow, I hadn't seen that report. Kids really aren't free even to roam their own neighborhoods anymore, are they? How sad.

ETA: Sorry, Mac, I didn't see your post. I was responding to the one above it.

[tantraman]

Free- range children are so much better than cage raised.[/quote]

That's so true!

Yet, speaking as a former free-range child who had cage-raised kids, it's really tough being a parent these days.[/quote]

.[/quote]
Yeah. Did you see the the mom who was arrested for letting her 7 year old son walk to a park to play? We'd ride to friend's houses at that age (and have to call to let them know we got there), but come on, talk about nanny-statism gone wild:

(http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 7432.story).[/quote]
I saw that it is amazing how much control the law has, I know it is in benefit of our safty but yea it definiatly is a little out of control.

[Murfreesboro]

Well, that is the classic see-saw, liberty vs. security.

[johnsoneliza52]

I think I was cage raised until about 16; my children were free raised. I loved when new people moved into the neighborhood, and realized that ALL of the children played outside, all the time. The new ones were reluctant at first, until they realized that ALL the parents were watching ALL the children. There wasn't any given moments that someone wasn't peeking out the front window or on the porch to watch what was going on. Good times!

[Murfreesboro]

Sounds like you have a great neighborhood!

[MauEvig]

Well I don't have kids or plan to so I can't really give a good perspective in a parent's role or view of things. However if I did, I think I'd try to be firm but fair as a parent. I'd teach them to be open minded, explore different religious views and find which one is right for them, and I think I'd go along the lines of "Just let me know where you're going and when you'll be back" especially in their teen years. Though because of kidnapping scares I probably would go to the playground with them until they get to be a certain age, when they show a level of maturity where I know they can be on their own. I might even join them! After all, we all have that inner child inside of us. I think our love of Halloween and perhaps other holidays is proof of that. But there would be a firm part as well. I'd teach my kids to mind. I would not tolerate running around screaming in the store like a lot of parents seem to do. The thing is, I'm not sure I'd make a good parent, and I certainly can't afford parenting when I have student loans to pay back and good jobs are scarce. I hardly consider my job a "good" job, it's just a job. I wouldn't want my kids growing up poor and struggling.
I have my kitties, and they're my kids and I love them as such. I'm happy being a pet parent. All my cats ask for is love, attention and food in their bellies.

That said, I can give a perspective on how I was raised. Was I cage raised, or free range? Well, the answer is a little more complicated than that. My parents were about as different as night and day and they divorced when I was 9 years old. It was hard on me of course, but unlike a lot of kids who might blame themselves, I never did. I knew it wasn't my fault. My mom remarried to my stepdad and has been with him ever since. My step dad let me play his Sega Genesis and is perhaps one of the biggest influences as a gamer, since he was always into gaming as well. So I had three major parenting figures in my life.
My mom was the over protective one, and was the one who did whatever she could to cage me up. She did take me trick or treating though, but after a while convinced me to just get my own candy at the store.
My dad was more "reasonably" protective. He was the "Just let me know where you're going and when you'll be back" parent.
Initially I think I rebelled a bit against my mom.
But my step dad? He didn't care what I did as long as he didn't get involved. So in my teen years, he pretty much let me do what I wanted within reason.
Unfortunately by having these three different parenting figures with different ideas on how to raise a kid, I think there's been a lot of conflict in my mind and it's definitely not helped my anxiety one bit.
High school and Middle school were also tough because I was bullied and picked on a lot, and I was afraid to stand up for myself.

In any case, that's a glimpse of my childhood in a nut shell.

[Murfreesboro]

I think everybody reacts to his or her own parenting in the parenting style they adopt. Either they consciously choose to be different, or they subconsciously imitate what they always knew growing up. I don't think people can know what kind of parent they would make until they actually become a parent, though. For me it was the Continental Divide of my life, much more so than getting married, which I had always imagined would be the big Divide. I tell my kids that becoming a parent was like looking through a kaleidoscope. Up until I had my first child, I was always looking at this one design, which I thought I knew and understood. Then with the birth of my first child, the kaleidoscope turned, and the image I was seeing was completely different. Some of the colors were the same, but I was never going back to that older image again.

It's important to give kids some freedom within limits appropriate to their age. But the fear of something bad happening to them is so visceral that it is impossible to explain. I recall, a few weeks after the birth of my first child, reading an essay in some parenting magazine by another mother. And she said that "having a child is like having your heart walking around outside of your body." That is the truest statement I have ever read about parenthood.

[MauEvig]

You're probably right Murf. I probably do react to my parents parenting methods in some ways. There are some things I simply wouldn't want to emulate, like being too over protective, or too controlling. My dad also may have been the more reasonable parent, but his down side was his hot temper, something I have a hard time controlling myself.

But still, I'm happy just being a pet mom to my furry babies.

Some people seem to believe that because I don't have kids, my "motherly instincts" instead fall upon my cats, and that may be true. I am pretty protective of them. lol For one thing, we don't let the cats outside. Too many dangers out there like wild animals and fast drivers, along with people who hate cats.

[Andybev01]

Then with the birth of my first child, the kaleidoscope turned, and the image I was seeing was completely different. Some of the colors were the same, but I was never going back to that older image again.

Cue the theme song from' Family Affair' .

[Murfreesboro]

OMG, I hadn't thought about Family Affair in decades!! LOL

Mau, we don't let our cats outside, either. We live on a busy street, and sooner or later, every outdoor cat gets hit by a car. If they are lucky they survive, but most do not.

[MauEvig]

Yeah I mean, I don't live in town but we live so close to the road, letting the cats out will be a bad idea.
It would be nice for them to get some fresh air though, so eventually we'd like to build a kitty enclosure outside so they can enjoy a little outdoors without the dangers. Of course, we'd also probably only let them out there on days when we're home, they'd still be mostly indoor cats, and in the winter they'd stay inside anyway. Just during the warmer months it would be nice of them to get a little sunshine and fresh air.
I think you're doing the right thing Murf by keeping them in. More cats die when let outside, and outdoor only cats don't live very long at all compared to indoor only.
But for now, the closest they get to outside is an open window. Or a trip to the vet.

[Murfreesboro]

Have you heard about "catios"? They are basically modified patios, I think, where cats can go out into a screened area, usually through a little trap door, so they can go at will. Of course, the screened area would have to have a roof, too. If you Google the term, you might be able to see some pictures.

[MauEvig]

I've heard about them. We do have a back porch, and a front porch. Screening in the back porch could be an option, but we'd need to find a new spot for the grill if we did that since that's where we currently keep the grill. Then maybe just open a window to let them out onto the back porch.
Talos our male cat especially likes looking out the window anyway, and I'm sure Storm our female cat would appreciate it as well.