A road trip down memory lane

Parenting is not an easy thing. The guilt. The pressure. There was a time when my parents were raised or even when I was raised the standard was lower.  Parents worried less about their children's "feelings". Their job was to feed, shelter, and get them outta the house at 18. Children were to be seen not heard. I listened to my mom tell my kids about a road trip we went on when I was around 7years old. We crossed the United Sates in 7days in a two door hatchback. My parents chain smoked the entire time. It was during the cold month of December. We were lucky if the windows were cracked an inch. To top off that wonderful aroma, our dog had an explosive case of diarrhea and vomiting for about 3 days of the trip. Remember, I said hatchback. I asked my mom if my sister and I complained. She shook her head no. My daughter said "geez, I would have said are we there yet a hundred times". I do remember occasionally asking if they would open the window because the smell was so bad. This amazes me because I have so little memory of my childhood. I look at that story now from a different perspective. I think how awful that must have been for my mom. Being that Im a mom now, it occurs to me how rough it would be. However, I also find it intriguing how little our(my sister's and I) feelings were taken into consideration. I can't imagine putting my kids through that. It seems now a days children are given more of a voice. Raising them goes beyond getting them out the door at 18. More parents are making a concerted effort not to screw them up. In fact, parenting today takes it a step further. Not only are we trying not to screw them up but we are trying to make them better..way way BETTER! They have full schedules, we entertain them, take them places just for them, throw over the top birthday parties, spoil them, enrich them, have them in sports, dance, and sign language. When did it change? I didn't complain in the car on that horrible road trip because it wouldn't have been heard. When did we start listening to our kids? Do we listen to them too much? There is something to be said about being able to go on a road trip, all hell breaking loose and your kids don't whine, grumble, or complain. There has to be a balance between listening to them and them knowing when to shut the fuck up.