Crooklyn is one of those classic films that really depicts a lot of kids reality growing up especially in the inner city. The movie is based out of the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York and my wife explained this reality.

A lot of kids experienced and witnessed a lot of things growing up with the amount of independence they had in the city. Walking a couple blocks to the corner store to grab groceries for the family, candy (why not?), and whatever else the parents asked to get.

Spike Lee’s Crooklyn is a total vibe, right? But beyond the funky clothes and killer soundtrack, something else really struck me: the sheer independence of the kids. Especially Troy. She’s dealing with life at an age when I was still figuring out how to tie my shoes. Seriously, her level of responsibility is something you just don’t see much anymore.

Thinking about it, I kinda envy her. Kids back then seemed to have this crazy resourcefulness, like they could handle anything. Running errands, navigating the neighborhood on their own, contributing to the family… It makes me wonder, did we lose something along the way? All that responsibility probably built some serious character. I mean, can you imagine a kid today taking the subway by themselves? Probably not. But then again, there’s a part of me that’s like, “Whoa, slow down.” All that independence came with a price. Did they really get to just be kids? Sometimes I feel like we’re so busy trying to protect our kids from everything that we forget they need space to figure things out on their own. There’s a sweet spot somewhere, right? A balance between letting kids explore and shielding them from the tough stuff.

Crooklyn totally got me thinking about all this. It’s a reminder that childhood is fleeting, whether you’re navigating the streets of Brooklyn in the 70s or scrolling through TikTok in the 2020s. It makes you wonder, what kind of childhood are we giving our kids today? And is it really better than what came before?