Is It Harder Being a Mum Today?

I've been thinking a lot about why I personally find it so hard to just 'let go' and why I try my best to raise my kids. Both of my parents worked, and we walked to and from school, let ourselves in, got our own afternoon tea and basically knew how to entertain ourselves.

With my own, nope, they do not walk to school. This has something to do with the fact that we live amongst hills and it takes around an hour, something else to do with the fact that the side walk is so skinny on busy roads, and still something else to do with the fact that I'm scared for them. Real or imagined?

Here's my theory of why it's different, if not harder being a mum these days:

- Children at home alone was normal until parents got home from work. Now, they cannot be on their own until aged 14.

- New Zealand society has definitely changed. Murders were rare. Violence wasn't in our face.

- We could watch TV and we'd get programs like Flipper, or the Smurfs. Our kids watch TV and they witness violence and murder.

- Our parents could send us to school and trust that the education system would equip us for employment. Now we have no idea what jobs will be available when are kids grow up (look at this site, this job did not exist when I was at school!) This, of course, drives parents to make their child the next genius - but it's not about intelligence - more on this another day.

- Drugs. P. Need I say more?

- Finances - it's now much harder to purchases a house, living costs are huge and many families are struggling.

- We no longer have free medical care and education.

- We have information overload: there is a theory, or a right way to do EVERYTHING - from baby feeding, to sleep, to what to eat, to the colour you choose for the bedroom walls. And you can rest assured, knowing that whatever way you choose to raise your kids there will be conflicting advice from another expert from another source.


I could go on, but you get the point. That said, I'm sure that the generation before me would disagree, and of course my grandmother was raised in the days where she had to repeat standard 6 because her dad didn't want her to go to secondary school (no point) and of course the depression was a way of life for so many. There were wars. Infectious diseases that killed millions.

I suppose every generation has their own issues that they have to deal with. I just feel personally that ours are a little bit more in our face. That the world just doesn't seem as friendly or as filled with potential for my kids as it did with me.

What are your thoughts?