Our views on safety have changed.

 I watched some young parents fuss over their children the other day and started thinking about how our attitudes toward safety have changed. Here are some lighthearted and I hope humorous thoughts on this topic.

Safety was not a big thing when I was growing up. A seat belt was something that got in the way: 'Ma, the seat belt is digging into my back.' 'Stuff it down into the seat. And roll those windows up, you're letting the smoke out.

"In the 1950s, parents let their kids ride in the front seat without a seatbelt, holding a metal lunchbox, and bouncing over potholes. The biggest worry? If the milkshake would spill on the new upholstery!"

"In today's world, parents have safety concerns about their kids using smartphones. Not because they might drop them, but because the parents can't remember where they left their own phones!"

"Parents today won't let their kids ride a bike without a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. But they still struggle to get them to wear a hat in the winter!"

"In the past, parents worried about kids talking to strangers. Today, parents worry about kids chatting with strangers online, while the kids worry their parents will accidentally send an embarrassing emoji to the family group chat."

"Modern parents enforce strict screen time limits for their kids. Ironically, these limits are often set during the parents' own binge-watching sessions of their favourite TV series."

"Parents now schedule and supervise every playdate, ensuring a safe environment. Back in the day, playdates involved the neighbourhood kids running wild, and the only supervision was the parents yelling from the porch to come home for dinner."

"Parents today won't even start the car unless every kid is buckled into a NASA-approved car seat. Back then, my mom’s idea of safety was making sure the ashtray was emptied before we hit the road."

"Modern parents are obsessed with organic food. 'Mom, can I have a snack?' 'Only if it’s organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO.' Meanwhile, we grew up on a diet of sugary cereals and microwave dinners, and we turned out just fine... right?"

"Parents today are constantly changing the Wi-Fi password to control screen time. 'Mom, what's the new Wi-Fi password?' 'After you finish your homework.' Back in my day, the only password we needed was the one to unlock the bike chain."

"Parents now schedule and supervise every playdate to ensure safety and social skills. 'Mom, can Timmy come over?' 'I’ll need to check with his mom, coordinate schedules, and plan a healthy snack.' In the old days, a playdate was just whoever showed up at the door and hoped there were enough popsicles to go around."