In the 1970s & 1980s, it was all about the group of friends you had in your neighborhood. We were always outside on our bikes or playing kickball or Chinese jump rope, ... or inside listening to records, doing crafts, or playing dress-up. I had no idea this amazingly fun life in childhood suburbia would not be the same for my kids.
By the turn of the century (no matter if we lived in a neighborhood or a rural area), it was all about "playdates." Why? Safety, I guess. No more just going outside or "can _____ come out and play?" I remember hearing the term "playdate," and thinking it was silly. Then I remember when I realized that the decisions made to fulfill my own dream (living in a rural area with woods all around) didn't make that kind of suburban life possible for my kids. Positives and Negatives about this, I suppose. But I remember a time when Annie and Leia felt sad about it. I wonder where they will choose to live, ... or if they will even have a choice.
