With only three channels on TV and no air conditioning in most of our houses, playing outside was our best fair-weather option.  

Children of today should be jealous.

On my block there was never any shortage of playmates for hide 'n' seek, Mother May I or one of the many variations of tag.

We had a grand time.

And it got even better on May 1, the date when most of our mothers permitted us to go barefoot.

Wiggling my toes in soft green grass can brighten my mood to this day.

Going barefoot was fun in itself, but we also realized it would be the first in a series of great days. On Memorial Day the pools would open. A few days later school would be out.

We lived by the rituals -- and rules -- that we absorbed right along with learning to tell time and read the calendar.

Yes, rules.

Come Labor Day, the pools would close and the shoes were back on our feet.

Rules change over time and rightfully so. I also recall the bees I stepped on, the scorching sidewalks and the occasional rusty nail or piece of glass.

These days most parents can afford to keep their children in shoes year-round. That's probably for the best. 

Sometimes it's best to give up on rules we no longer need.

But do we have to discard them all? 

Why is it necessary, for example, for police officers to station themselves at intersections across the city and watch for drivers running red lights?

A co-worker once commented that right-turn-on-red-after-stop was the beginning of the breakdown of civilization. I was struck by the thought.  

When the law was first passed, people carefully came to complete stops before turning on red. Then this began to seem like a waste of time, so they came to rolling stops.

Eventually, some were just glancing to see if the way was clear before making the turn without pausing. 

Now a frightening number of drivers are running straight through red lights. It's a problem across the country. I, for one, no longer proceed as soon as a light turns green. First I look to see if anyone approaching the red light is slowing to stop.      

Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure the law requiring drivers to use turn signals still is on the books. But everywhere I go, cars are changing lanes and making turns with no signals.

As a pedestrian, I remind myself that non-signaling drivers may turn right into me as I cross a street. Sometimes, as I jump back and survive a close brush with death, a sheepish driver signals belatedly.   

It seems ironic that the Legislature continues to debate new laws about seatbelts and texting as drivers flout more important measures already in code. 

In recent weeks, Vent Line callers have been complaining about people who wear pajama pants in public.

Some call this a fashion trend. Others are put off.

This is hardly the first sign of another set of rules being pitched.

Remember casual Fridays? Now many people are casual all week long and not just at work. So why not pajamas around the clock?

Society must get back on track.  

We need rules, both written and unwritten. We need to agree on some behaviors that will keep us healthy and safe and not irritated by each other.

So don't get in the express line with 23 items, for Pete's sake. Don't use foul language within earshot of people you don't know. (Save that for your loved ones.)

And please, don't talk loudly on your cellphone in the movie theater. Well, anywhere in public, actually.      

I'm actually wearing pajama pants as I write from home, and they are really comfortable. However, I promise not to leave the house this way, except maybe to get my newspaper out of the box.   

When I head in to work, I vow to use my signal at every turn between here and the office.

And I will not step outside barefoot before midnight tonight.

Friend is editor and publisher of the Daily Mail. She may be reached at 348-5124 or nan...@dailymail.com.