Children should have more to do

— Rod Jones, Mendocino

To the Editor:

I've lived a while and observed a slow decline in free. Free TV, free news, free sports, free fun events for children. It is a new era of pay for everything. I had a analog world series antenna TV. The signal was shut off, during the series, then back on, after it was over. Grump! Lol. But I watched a couple games, for free.

Trick or treating was free, to the children in the past. And haunted houses, were always free, to make the holiday special for large families.

Sports were on regular TV for everyone in our country, to enjoy and have a feeling of comradeship with others. World series and football, basketball. All free to watch. Everyone was included. Now you pay, a lot in some cases. With the exspense of living basics, how does a family do this??

And events for kids, used to be free. If a parent had three kids, antenna TV was 10 a year! And disney was on every sunday night, if could not afford to go to the theater. A theater trip now for 4 is what, 50 without popcorn…. in past, weds movie matinees, were free in summer.

The cost of going to a show, haunted house, watching sports, fairs, and holiday fun, is becoming only a upper middle class activity now. How does that effect children??

We all talk about helping parents with the basics. But while the basic necessities are very needed. The rest has gone up in price by 10 times…maybe more, or not even possible for most parents, to give to their children. The basic simple joys of childhood, should not cost a fortune. With all the upgrades in grander places, grandor ideas, the costs to enjoy, have skyrocketed, excluding many Americans.

The hardest part for a parent in this area, is telling a child, they can't go to Disneyland or the show, to see new movie. Or even to a haunted house or to watch a football game on TV. I find this change, hard to comprehend. Profiting from minimal fun. And I would love to see all children, get access to the funest activities, when it's impossible, to be outside, in winter or close contact with other families, because of covid. I'd love to see more free for children everywhere, so they feel like they belong to society and can stir the imagination of possibilities, in their minds, through stories and experiences. In my opinion, bring free back, or at least low costs, back to hard working families, for the families sake. Instead of burdening them or excluding them all together.

— Catherine Lair, Ukiah