Did you ever get lost as a child?

[A_B]

Kids don't seem to get lost as much as they used to. Most of the friends I had growing up got lost at one time or another, usually on holiday. I can remember most holidays I'd get lost for a good couple of hours and either be found wandering about and taken in by a stranger who'd try to find my parents, or I'd be sat in the lost children's cabin. I never got lost alone, it was always with my two sisters. I'm not sure how my mum managed to lose all three kids at once though.

Sometimes I'd sneak out of the house and walk the streets trying to get lost, but I always found my way home.

I've not lost one child yet! Do people still lose them?

[timey]

I'm not sure if any fewer kids get lost these days or not, but if that's the case then I would put it down to different attitudes by the parents. Parent seem to be more attentive to their kids nowadays than when I was little, although I could just be basing that on my own parents who probably would have been quite happy to lose me. The only time I really remember being lost though was in Stevenage at about age 5 (or possibly even younger), and I seem to have become detached from my parents, and I remember speaking to a policeman who helped me find them again. I'm not sure if they had even noticed my absence.

[Jules]

Yes I got lost a few times. My brother was worse though.

Had half the neighbours on our street and the police looking for him one day. They found him wandering around on the train tracks

[A_B]

I'm not sure if they had even noticed my absence.

I think it was the same with my parents. They never seemed that bothered, at least Jules' parents got the neighbours and police out searching.

I think British parents are more overprotective. I don't know whether it's the same in other places, but I know two people who live in Spain and they just let their kids run free alone all day. It sends panic through me, but the families look so happy and relaxed so they must be doing something right.

[Earl]

If we were somewhere shit I would wander off, find an adult to tell them I'm a lost child, and hopefully get taken to the 'lost child room' where I could play with toys.

[timey]

I think it was the same with my parents. They never seemed that bothered, at least Jules' parents got the neighbours and police out searching.

I think British parents are more overprotective. I don't know whether it's the same in other places, but I know two people who live in Spain and they just let their kids run free alone all day. It sends panic through me, but the families look so happy and relaxed so they must be doing something right.

Yeah, it would make your hair curl to know how we were left to our own devices and what we did at a very young age. One time my brother and I were out on our bikes, cycling along a busy road, miles away from home. What frightens me is that I must have been about eight at the time, so my brother was six! Same when we visited family in Dundee. We were going around the city at the ages of six and eight, totally by ourselves. You just wouldn't see that now. And yes it was the 1960s but the world was just as busy and potentially dangerous a place for young kids as it is now.

[Earl]

Who used to visit relatives, and just have to sit in the car outside for possibly hours?

[timey]

They made you sit in the car when you were visiting relatives? No, we never did that, we were usually outside though, getting up to some sort of mischief while the adults sat about inside nattering and/or drinking.

[Earl]

I think it was usually if some old duffer was in hospital, or something along those lines. But we were often just left in the car whilst the adults fucked-off doing something.

[A_B]

We didn't have a car to sit in.