Boy, is this post from one of The Stir's bloggers right on or what?!

Cigarette runs to the liquor store. Nowadays, parents probably wouldn't dream of bringing their kid into a liquor store -- let alone letting him or her go into one alone. But I routinely ran for cigarettes for my mom at the local liquor store.

Going to bars. My mom spent some time working as a bartender -- so I came along! There were always other kids in the bar too. Patrons would pull up a chair for me so I could play pinball. I got pretty good, too, and could beat the adults. Yes, I drank Shirley Temples.

Being left alone. Every day it seems I read a story about a kid being left alone with tragic results. My mom also used to leave me alone -- and luckily the results were fine. Not that this makes it acceptable -- but no one really thought it was bad to leave their kids alone in that town, where everyone knew everyone and no one locked their doors.

A boy babysitter. When I did have a babysitter, it was a local teen boy named Fred. No, he never molested me. Even when my friends and I insisted on posing for him in our bathing suits. I remember him laughing awkwardly and quickly leaving the room.

Riding bikes without a helmet. Never heard of a helmet. That goes for being in a car without a seatbelt too.

Running around town without an adult. My friends and I were always out by ourselves -- sometimes after dark. It was just that kind of place.

Naked pictures. It seems like at least half the pics of me as a kid were naked ones. My mom always said I hated putting on clothes. She has a picture of me and a friend -- both naked -- both around 5 years old in a garbage can where we were hiding, playing hide-and-seek. I can only imagine the jail sentence she'd be handed down if a pic of her kid and another kid naked in a garbage can got around.