I tend to agree with the thread title for a lot of kids but when we share with them the differences of then and now they often laugh. Kids lifes today are richer in many ways but poorer in others. Increasingly risks are being taken away by societies perception of what is right and wrong. Learning through risk taking is what experience is all about and if the risks are removed so are the experiences. I was appalled to read of the 7yo who is frightened to go to school because of the discipline issues. When I was advising on behaviour management to teachers one of the first slides/OHTs I used was a quote from Albert Camus, "Nothing is more dispicabale than a respect based on fear." Quote | 
