Turn Signals

When I moved to the Sierra foothills from the urban San Francisco Bay Area I was pleased to see that people up here stop at stop signs and take turns at four-way stops. They stop to let pedestrians cross the street and usually stay within five miles of the speed limit.

But, just like in the Bay Area, lots of people don’t seem to know how to use their turn signals.

Back in ancient history, when I was young, turn signals hadn’t been invented. At least not the electric kind.

Instead of signal lights we would hold our hands and arms out the driver’s window to signal that we were going to turn or stop. Holding the arm straight out to the left showed that we would turn left, holding it straight up meant we’d make a right turn, and holding it down toward the ground meant we were about to stop.

Of course there were problems with that. Drivers had to keep their windows open most of the time, put their arms out in the rain or snow in winter and risk getting sunburns in the summer.

And sometimes it was difficult for people to see the hand signals of some other cars, depending on where their own cars were.

You would think since people using electric turn signals don’t have any of those problems, drivers would use their turn signals all the time.

Do they use turn signals most of the time where you live? Do you?

Safety

Was the world really a safer place for children in past generations? Maybe and maybe not.

In the 1940s and 50s when I was a kid everyone went out and played without adult supervision and it was considered normal to get skinned knees and even broken arms. That was just an ordinary part of childhood. Once I got knocked out for a few minutes playing Red Rover at recess and went back to class when the bell rang. That game was forbidden from then on but nobody called my mother or suggested I get medical attention.

Back then we heard about people using illegal drugs in New York City, but nothing like that happened in most of our country. And street gangs were only in the big cities and usually confined to the slums.

Once in a while a child of someone rich and famous might get kidnapped and held for ransom, but ordinary kids didn't need to fear being kidnapped.

And, while driving, most people obeyed the speed limits and stopped for pedestrians, although there were some reckless drivers.

But some things simply weren't talked about.

We had a neighbor who was arrested. The story of his arrest was in the newspaper, but nobody mentioned to us kids what he had done and when he was due to be released from prison his wife and children left the area and changed their name.

There were probably a lot of incidents like that. Abuse in families was simply not discussed in public.

Yes, I guess things were probably safer for kids in those days, but it's a shame today's kids don't have the freedom we had.

Free Play

"Mom, can I go out to play now?"

If you're old (like me) you probably remember asking that question.

After reminding you to say "May I" in stead of "Can I," and checking to be sure you'd finished all your chores the answer was usually, "Okay" with a reminder about how to behave and when to be back home.

Then you'd rush out the front door to find your friends.

Wait a minute! Do I mean kids actually went out without adult supervision?

We sure did.

As long as the commies didn't drop an atomic bomb that day parents assumed we'd be okay.

Illegal drugs were something the papers reported were becoming a problem back in poorer sections of New York City and molestation was never mentioned in public. Only the children of rich people might get kidnapped and held for ransom and we knew to be careful not to be run over by cars.

Of course we'd often get skinned knees, someone might get a black eye in a fight and once in a while a kid might even fall out of a tree and break a bone, but nobody would get sued because of things like that. They were considered a normal part of growing up.

And we had the advantage of spending hours using our imaginations.

We might pretend to be cowboys and Indians, princesses and knights in shining armor, space explorers, detectives, horses, jungle animals, doctors, parents, or anything else we could think of. Sometimes we'd play games, but those weren't organized by adults and we could change the rules any time we agreed on new ones.

Since today's kids always have adults watching them and are usually in groups with others near the same age it's unusual for them to do pretending play after they enter grade school. For many children, electronic games are the only opportunity they have for using their imaginations.

It's a shame today's kids don't have the kind of freedom we enjoyed.

Safety First

A young kid I knew was riding his bike when he hit a bump and tipped over, falling down some cement steps. His helmet was smashed, but he only suffered a bruise on his head. His doctor said it was a good thing he had the helmet on or his skull would have been smashed.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago.

An adult I know was riding his bike on a country road, rounded a corner, and smashed head-on into a truck. He wasn't wearing a helmet. Fortunately he wasn't killed, but he certainly could have been.

Once I was waiting to be seen in a hospital emergency room. Another patient was a pretty young woman who had been riding a motorcycle off-road when she spun out and rolled in some gravel She was wearing nothing but a string bikini and helmet and her entire body looked like raw hamburger. She was in extreme pain and her body was probably scarred for life. But her face, which had been protected by the helmet, was okay.

Please, please, please be sure your kids always wear helmets when biking, riding scooters, skateboards, etc. And, grown-ups, please do the same. Helmets may feel hot or uncomfortable and some people think they don't look cool, but they can save your life. Nobody is invulnerable.