Old-school activities among NJ kids that’s now mostly obsolete today

Pause for a minute and think about what things were like when you were growing up. It certainly was quite different back then when compared to how things are today.

Nowadays it seems like fewer kids are outside playing at the local park. Not as many kids are walking or biking around, nor do they seem to be hanging out with their friends.

Now could this just be perception? Possibly. But as a father of twin sons, this lack of playing outdoors just seems to be more normal among most kids today when compared to how it used to be when I grew up.

I know technology is a big part of this, but that's not all. Thinking about this got me thinking of other things we used to do as kids that is either not very common or non-existent today.

It's less about our kids hanging out as opposed to what they used to do if and when they hung out. It's a simple reminder of how much times have changed.

Going without a plan

I remember doing this all the time. We wouldn't call. We wouldn't ask or wait for an invite. We wouldn't make plans ahead of time. We would just go.

When I grew up in the 1990s, there wasn't any of this "let's make a play date" kind of thing. Now sure, for younger kids the parents would probably still have to pre-plan. But at no point do I ever recall the term play date being used.

As or the older kids, this just doesn't seem like it's that big of a thing anymore. If it's a nice day, just go out and see who's around. Sometimes not having a plan makes the best plans.

Knocking on doors

It's crazy how in the era of cell phones, security, and doorbell cameras that we're so afraid to walk up and knock on someone's door. Kids especially don't seem to do this that much anymore.

It's like we're terrified to do so, and I wonder if that's because we've lost some of our social skills thanks to screen time. Simply put, knocking on someone's door is awkward for so many kids nowadays.

But it's not just them as some parents don't want anyone coming up to knock on their doors. Welcome to the modern world I guess.

Call their friends by phone

Here's another one you won't find many kids doing anymore. Picking up the phone and calling their friends. No, I don't mean picking up the phone and texting them. Nor do I mean voice-to-text. I mean an actual phone call.

What's more? We don't really want to talk to anyone on the phone anyway. And that's with knowing who's calling us, unlike the old days when we didn't have any idea of who was on the other end.

But again, this also goes back to the first two examples of knocking on doors or going out without a plan. Kids today just seem to be more sociably awkward.

The streetlight curfew

With cell phones and smart watches now a regular thing for kids, there's always a call time to come back home. But back in the day, this wasn't the norm.

Sure, some kids had basic watches, but not all. So what did most parents do? They simply relied on streetlights.

It was probably the most straight-forward way of knowing when to come home. If the streetlights and porchlights started to come on, then it was time to get home.

I wonder if there are any kids that do this today? If I had to make a bet, I'd say for most of them probably not.

Trust from the parents

This one's big. Unlike the past when our parents just wanted us out of the house and didn't care where we were until the streetlights came on, today's kids must have a specific plan in place.

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Constant checking in, tight time frames, and parents tracking their kids on their watches or smart phones. And it's not just the parents not trusting their kids. It's the parents not trusting anyone, period.

Back in the day, we were told to watch out for the man giving out candy in an unmarked van. But for as simple as that lesson was, common sense taught us so much more about who to trust with that candy man as the primary example.

I don't know, it just feels like we're more paranoid today than we used to ever be despite having so many more tools at our disposal to help keep us safe.

Get the hell out!

All of the above can be summed up in one phrase from the parents to the kids - get the hell out! We were encouraged to leave the house and to find something to do. I for one am very grateful for having been forced to do that.

It's not to say none of today's kids don't get out of the house and figure things out on their own, some absolutely do. It's just not nearly as common as it used to be. In a way, you can say these practices are nearly obsolete.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.