The author has hit a home run with this column. By trying to "save our kids" from every possible disease/calamity/pitfall that exists in the world we have taught them that they can have a safeness that never exists in reality. When we try to "guarantee" life in essence we hasten its' demise because we no longer live. We exist.

Nicely written. I, too, experienced life without sani wipes, swam in the stock trough, and filled a cup of milk from the cow, pouring off the cream for the cats. As children we discovered gasoline was the best cleanser, what grew wild but was good to eat, and that we conducted electricity and therefore needed to respect it.
It isn't just experiences that kids don't have today. I also beleive we short change their immune systems.

Brings back some memories.

It's been a long time coming, but this is the first time I've ever agreed with one of your columns.

It was well written and something I've tried to explain to my children many times...nice work.

My father had told me similar stories of chewing tar and drinking white chunky water from irrigation hoses.

You rarely see kids doing the things that even my generation did: play it mud, spend hours in trees, or pelt eachother with weeds.

Ah, the good ol days. Chewing tar. Breathin' fumes. Makin' sure black folks had their own separate water fountains, and rootin' out commies with Joe McCarthy. I agree that kids are dangerously sheltered these days, but it seems best to take grandpa's utopian memories with a little grain of salt. I'm personally grateful for EPA standards and chlorinated swimming pools, and believe that they can co-exist in a world where kids play in the dirt and still have to get stitches from time to time.

That's hilarious! I think kids do live in a world that's a bit too cautious and sanitized. Almost every time I take my son to a check-up at the doctor's, the doctor tells me he has an ear infection, even though he has no symptoms at all besides the red eardrum. Finally, after about three unnecessary rounds of antibiotics I started taking him home and waiting to see if he ever developed symptoms. He never has.

This is probably the first column from Florez with which I've agreed. But I note that I've never seen Florez oppose any law or regulation meant to protect children. When is enough, enough? We have mandatory seat belt and booster seat laws. But not enough, so now kids have to use booster seats until they are 8.

We have helmet laws, but also impose age limits on operating ATVs. In the recent past we've had laws proposed to ban riding in the bed of a pickup and imposing age limits to operate a boat, even under direct adult supervision.

We are putting a woman on trial for choosing to have here baby sleep in her bed, rather than a crib.

It is all but impossible for anyone younger than 17 to get a real job.

Where was Florez when this bevvy of child protection laws were being proposed and passed? A fine column as far as it goes. But let's recognize and do something about the legislation that removes so much parental choice about how to raise kids.

Ah, yesteryear when everything seemed to work out ok without some dad-gummed regulation getting in the way. But think about how well all of Mr. Florez' reminiscences would be with three times as many people doing the same thing? Three times as many pot bellied stoves with coal or used rail-ties, three times as many kids swimming in the canals, three times as much flotsam in the canals, and so on. I read the article twice and could not find his point apart from cutting the leash on any regulation and pointing out how superior his generation is.

Excellent column by John Florez. What Mr. Florez could have also pointed out is that we now have a full-fledged "therapeutic" nanny culture which makes millions per year scaring us to death with statistics. Everything is suddenly "bad" for us; we're liable to keel over dead at a moment's notice if we're not constantly on guard.

We also have Big Pharma which spams the nightly national newscasts with advertisements telling us to run to the doctor to get the newest designer pill because we might have a blood clot the size of a pinhead. The mission of Big Pharma is to make you sick and keep you sick to assure a perpetual profit stream.

We must liberate ourselves from "experts" and alarmists who try to scare us to death with statistics. And we must remove from office these lawmakers who cater to the therapeutic nanny culture by endlessly spamming us with child seat laws, helmet laws, etc., etc., ad nauseum.

John, that's one of the best columns you've ever written. Thanks for taking me back to my childhood days of riding horses in the Desert for hours with my friends, at the ripe ol' age of 7. My friends used to walk distances of up to 3 miles to school each day. You are spot on. We are spoiling our kids to their detriment. They need more struggle to grow....more use of imagination. Much less time in front of the TV and Video games and more time outside in physical activity and hard, hard sports and other competition with no Gold Stars for the losers (oh, forgive me, we can't have anyone "lose" in this day and age). Need to keep up the "warm and fuzzies."

Awesome job! I usually always appreciate your opinion (and you always have one!) I really appreciate your values and where you have come from!!!! Good job!!!!

I grew up a generation behind John. But I grew up a few houses away from John. I played with his son and daughters in the late 60's and 70's. Often John would join his son and me in football games. John was a superb athlete in his time, as many of you might know.

John was also a teacher....a teacher of kindness, acceptance, understanding and social tolerance.

I'm now 52 years old and will never forget the profound impact John had upon me with one simple sentence. I uttered a racial slur in anger. John patiently and kindly reminded me of the insensitivity of my remark without hatred or judgment.

I can still see his face and hear his voice.
I was devastated. Even at the age of twelve I wanted to be like him. John was smart, energized, dedicated and charismatic. John was athletic and proud without arrogance.

To this very day……..I've never again spoken that way.

Thanks John.