Other side of the coin...
I remember getting the "stomach flu" on a regular basis. Today, I believe it was more likely food poisoning.
The river we swam in was downstream from a sheep farm. It had eels until August (think SNAKES only ickier), and one year a dead sheep in the eddy until after July.
We played unsupervised, and most of us lived through it... but there were accidents and tragedys. Most of us know of at least one childhood friend who drowned, or was badly hurt by using our best judgement.
We were propositioned by deviants... but we kept quiet because it was never talked about.
We witnessed incredible chaos, but pushed our shame aside and told ourselves it must be "normal".
The neighbor man beat my little brother with a 2 X 4 while mother watched without interference. I don't know why... is there a reason that would be good enough? Brother was 7 or 8 years old.
Mom made us hide when the Jehova's Witnesses drove in... I didn't know why, but I assumed it was because they would hurt us.
Our family was never dysfunctional... they were just 'drunks'. With all that implies.
Not meaning to rain on your parade, Doug... but for me, it is good to remember that the "good old days" were pretty much the same as the "these days". People really don't change much over the decades... and as much as I rail at what seems like lenient parents and youthful disrespect and policital shenanigans... it's been going on forever.
We just put it out in the light these days... where we can better deal with it.
OK... my 2 cents, and off my soapbox.