Were Kids Tougher in My Day?

You have probaby received the email thirty times over.  An email has forwarded along the joke lists for years about how today there are so many child safety items that we didn't have when we were kids and we turned out just fine.   I never knew a kid whose head got stuck in between the bars of a crib.  Oh, wait a minute.  That was me, but I got out just fine.  

I will admit, there were plenty of outlet covers around the house. The thinking was that I would lick my fingers and then stick a fork in the outlet and electrocute myself. That thought never crossed my mind. Ever. 

Nowadays, they recommend corner cushions so a child doesn't hit their head on the kitchen counter.  Those are those little padded corners.  They had those back when I was a kid too, but we had tables that were glass with a negligible amount of metal, so it made sense.  Today, anything that is not perfectly round is in danger of harming a child, so they seem to think.  

Do we shield children a little too much these days as far as small household safety items?  I can't help but think most accidents are due to lack of supervision versus how many covers, caps, and cabinet locks one installs.   There is some truth, however, to incidents happening the one second an eye turns, however, so maybe its not such a bad idea.