Our childhood freedom then was baked into the recipe of the times. We were raised by parents from the Greatest Generation. They had to be self-sufficient because their families needed them to be during the Great Depression and WWII years. Our parents had every expectation their kids could take care of themselves.
I invite readers to simply have fun and enjoy the adventures. And remember how important play is for kids. The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt posits that the brain of a growing child, like other mammals, expects thousands of hours of play – falls, scrapes, conflicts, insults, alliances, betrayals, status competitions, and exclusions - to finish the intricate wiring process of neural brain development. Free play helps children develop skills of cooperation and dispute resolution. Alexis de Tocqueville referred to this as the “art of association upon which democracies depend†in his 1835 book, Democracies in America.
I would recommend Raised On Freedom to any reader. Particularly to those of my generation, or those interested in their parents’, and grandparents’, experience. I have reviews of readers from various generations who enjoyed it. This story of childhood and its inevitable loss is universal. The host of the Memoir Lane Podcast described the book as a time capsule wrapped in love.
I related these stories to my kids and carried them in my heart throughout my life. I remembered them quite vividly. Due to their retelling, surely. But also, they are such remarkable anecdotes. The stories will make you laugh and cry. And some will cause you to say, “Oh my gosh, if my kid did that I’d faint!â€
