Common Sense

American youths are becoming more and more dependent on their parents for everything in their daily lives. There was a time when a boy could survive with his knife and fishing pole for the whole summer.Adults didn't worry about the child's safety unless he wasn't seen all day. An example is Tom Sawyer. Though fiction, Samuel Clemens must have gotten the idea somewhere. Nowadays most boys (and men) can't even catch a fish (I'm happy to say I'm not one of them!). For ideas that sharpen your outdoor skills read The American Boys Handy Book.