I think we just didn't hear about it.

At my Elementary/Junior High school.  A teacher was suspended b/c he was suspected of molesting a girl.  I don't know how true it was.  The girl was in the 6th grade at the time.  People are making a big deal now because more women are doing it (or getting caught doing it).  At two of the high schools I went to, teachers lost their jobs for having relatonships with students.  At one of them, the girl got pregnant.  t didn't make the news b/c the way people communicate was different, there was no internet.

The internet is a mixed blessing.  1) it allows us to be aware when something bad happens to a child.  The Amber alert etc. are good things that came from this kind of technology. 2) the downside is that now predators do have access to our children, but that only means that we have to educate our children in a different way.  A stranger over the computer is just as dangerous as a stranger that you let into your home.  You have to teach children not to let their guards down just because a stranger is not physically in front of them.

I am older than you, and I do believe it is worse. I blame a great deal of it on the media. Things did go on back then, but it wasn't glorified on tv and the internet. I remember when news was really news and not about ratings.

Times have most definitely changed....but kids have also changed with the times, they have access to a lot more knowledge now than we did...cheating is also easier with everything available on the internet. Like everything else, I think balance is the key to a good childhood. 

First of all, Momaroo, "age" is all about awareness and perception.  "You're as young as you think you are" is more than just an empty platitude ... in my world it's truth.  I have my "old" days, but quickly grasp the things that keep me feeling more youthful and vital.  I crossed my mid-century mark some time ago, but I'm nowhere near my expiration date!  Rejoice in your youth.

Awareness is something that is heightening globally, and the awakening of social consciousness such as you discuss here is exciting!  I see it as an indication of the resurgence of social values of previous generations:  bringing our loved ones closer, drawing a sense of "self" from a sense of "family" and "community."  No longer do kids perceive themselves as individual zygotes brushing up against others as they float needlessly through life, but they are becoming aware that each one of us is part of something much greater than our individual nation ... we are part of a global community.  Actions that take place a half a world away impact our safety, security and longevity.

My father was the "dirty little secret" of an incestuous rape in 1930.  His mother was shipped away to a convent in Canada to have the baby, who was then adopted by a distant relative and smuggled back into the US in the bottom of a laundry basket.  My best friend's mother was one of seven kids placed in an orphanage in the early 19-teens and eventually placed into child labor through a convent in Illinois.  Her mother ran a "speakeasy" where she was put to work at 15 years of age -- beaten within an inch of her life by a woman who thought she was fooling around with her husband (part of one of the largest Chicago-area crime syndicates to ever have existed!).  And Coke -- everybody's favorite soda -- gave you that lift from cocaine!  EVERYBODY took drugs!  In fact, tinctures and cough syrups were thick with alcohol and narcotics.

In Victorian times...heck, for Centuries...women were prescribed barbiturates to manage "melancholy" and mask serious medical problems.  Many eventually died from overdose as they sought continued numbing of the reality that was their life:  spousal abuse, social critique, adulterous marriages, incest, and all the other unseemly activities that have plagued mankind since its inception.

Yes, the news has become big business and strives to "one-up" the competition by assigning splashy taglines and displaying horrifying photos about disgusting behaviors in an effort to push their ratings through the roof.  Shock journalism has been around for decades, but as society medicated its social consciousness to the point of mind-numbing insensitivity, it finally became the norm.  Thankfully, people are starting to notice and want to protect their kids from this unseemly side of humanity.  Let our kids be kids, for cripes sake!  Make them aware that there are bad people out there, but show them love and give them the best, most stable home environment you can manage.  Get them outside ... away from computers and TVs ... pry the electronic devices out of their hands and show them how much fun it is to get together a "pick-up" game of football, baseball, kickball or "tag" after dinner!  Honestly, we interacted with the other kids in our community and hated to spend time alone.  As kids, we talked, laughed, surmised, experimented and learned.  This is how we make good people and a better world.

As a mom, you have the power ... just don't let the bastards get you down!

I believe it was definitely different, but people take that to mean kids are worse now than they used to be. I doubt that's true, it's just that there are different morals now than before. Some things are worse than they used to be, some are better. It's just how life goes. But I'd take drugs and sex over racism and unfair working environments any day.

@k8tthelate@xanga - I agree, there seems to be no shame anymore. Too many things are acceptable now that weren't back when. I mean when did the "B" word become the norm on TV?Why does every commercial have nudity in it, even if it is about teeth whitener? Do your teeth look more white if you are naked? I don't think so!!

@Liquid_Pain_523@xanga - Amen to that.