I'm old. Don't e-mail me and tell me you're older.

Maybe it is because I have a birthday next week and I'm feeling older by the day, but I know what I'm enjoying about living in Norway right now. It reminds me of growing up. Things seem simpler here. As a kid I remember things that, up to this point, my children haven't been able to experience. Riding bikes around town, playing by the railroad tracks and building the double secret fort that no one knew about. Things like disappearing on a Saturday morning after cartoons and only coming back home long enough for a snack or something to drink. Telling mom that we would be over at the school playing and that was enough information for her to know we were ok. Things feel a little like that here. The kids are a little more free to wander around, the parents a little less on edge about where everyone is at every minute. The lady next door greeted us along the road the other day and said she couldn't talk too long as she left the baby in the stroller back at the house. Sure enough, as we approached the house, there was the stroller sitting unattended with the baby resting quietly and safe.  My mom and her contemporaries are nodding their heads and mumbling something about my age parents being uptight or over"something"...be it overbearing or overprotective, or insert your favorite line. I'm glad I get to let Sam climb the rocks and play outside without worrying about his every move. I'm glad we get to let Sara go to the mall on the bus with the other 11-12-13 year olds, because it will be fine. What could happen? I hope we find that this theme persists on this adventure. It would be nice to get some solid "kid time" for them before we go back to our gated, stay within eyesight surroundings. Ok...I'm only 42....is this when you start talking about the "good old days"?