Jim Fusilli, rock and pop reviewer for the Wall Street Journal, recently opined that Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Songs of All Time reflected "boomer bias," pointing out that a disproportionate number of selections were from the 1960s and 1970s. That got me thinking of the many times I've been accused of idealizing 1950s child rearing. I do, in fact, often compare the manner in which children were raised in those halcyon days with today's "parenting," daring to say that the 1950s was a much better time for kids.

One example: We controlled our games. We decided what, where, and when we were going to play. When we were of sufficient number, we picked the captains who choose the teams (so we learned to play both with and against everyone). We figured out who was going to play what position, the rules, fair versus foul, and so on. Today's kids play organized sports that are micromanaged by well-intentioned but very misguided adults who actually think they're doing them a favor.