Childhood seems to have been better in the past, yes. My Boomer parents had pick-up baseball and hockey games with the neighbourhood kids outside. I went off on my bike and to the playground with my siblings, wandered through the woods at my grandparents' alone, or went to visit friends. I allow my own children to do similar things (when they're not in swimming, judo, etc.), but they never see the other children on the street to play with.