5 ms·

It was once socially acceptable to send children by post [pdf]

59 points by Raed667 11y ago

dang 11y ago
Url changed from https://boingboing.net/2015/11/08/it-was-once-socially-acceptabl.html https://boingboing.net/2015/11/08/it-was-once-socially-accep..., which points to this.
- Raed667 11y ago
  weird
  - dang 11y ago
    If you read the HN guidelines, you'll see that they ask you to post the original source in cases like this. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
    - Raed667 11y ago
      I know the guidelines, it is bizarre because I'm pretty sure I put the link to the article when submitting.
Animats 11y ago
It's still acceptable to send them by plane. Most US airlines accept "unaccompanied minors", for an extra charge of $150 or so.[1] Interestingly, kids 15 and over can usually just buy a ticket and go; for United Air Lines, it's 12. [1] https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/specialneeds/minors/default.aspx https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/specialneeds...
- waqf 11y ago
  I went unaccompanied minor on BA once (I'm pretty sure it didn't cost money in those days). I was 15 and would have been fine without, but it turned out to be a great way to skip the queue at immigration at Sheremetyevo.
- spike021 11y ago
  I took a flight by myself when I was 14. Not too bad. I'd assume if you're younger than a certain age then maybe they have attendants check on the children. For me it was probably the same as if I'd been an adult.
- thawkins 11y ago
  I used to fly all around the world as an "unaccompanied minor" , having parents who where in the services and posted mainly abroad, I used to travel upto 6 times a year by myself from the age of 8. I usualy flew British Airways (im british).
  - OJFord 11y ago
    What? You can post parents as well as children? (Sorry, couldn't resist..)
- ghaff 11y ago
  I'd certainly expect a 15 yo to be able to fly by themselves without any special procedures. I was flying at that age by myself and don't remember it as being any particular deal.
  - fineman 11y ago
    In three more years it'd be appropriate for you to get your own apartment and a job. I'd certainly hope someone was capable of traveling by plane at 15. I think people are a little over-protective these days...
- djcapelis 11y ago
  Did that a number of times. Was easier when it wasn't required after I was 12 or 14 or whatever the requirement was on Northwest at the time. One time they asked me to walk down the aisle and hand out peanuts. A lot of people seemed to think that was totally cute. Seemed a little strange to me, but was more fun than sitting down and being bored. Was nice to be shown into the lounge area between connecting flights. Unaccompanied flying is totally reasonable thing for children especially with the procedures airlines have in place for younger ones. Though it seems like airlines are making some of those procedures apply to older children now too, which is totally weird.
acchow 11y ago
Across the country by train? How long does that take? How much food and water did they have to bring along?
- smt88 11y ago
  Trains have served food and water almost since they were first used by travelers, but there have always also been businesses offering those things at some stops[1]. The US used to have much cheaper and more expansive rail travel[2]. One could imagine that with such widespread usage, there would have been service between cities with fewer stops (much like the express trains in New York, which complement the regular, local trains). 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dining_car#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dining_car#History 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transportation_in_the_United_States#Competition_with_trucks_and_automobiles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transportation_in_the_Uni...
1024core 11y ago
I have seen live ducks and beehives being sent by mail in a post office distribution center (P&DC) with my own eyes. I was standing there, and one of the boxes moved. I freaked out, and quickly caught the attention of a USPS guy walking by: hey, that box, that box just moved!! He calmly replied, yes, those are ducks. And then pointed a different box, and said those are bees....
- imgabe 11y ago
  And that's how you learned about the birds and the bees? Sorry, I'll show myself out...
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- jws 11y ago
  My daughter went to pick up her ducklings, goslings, and chicks at the post office. They apologized that they had lost the box. They knew it was in there because they could hear it. They just had to move a bunch of stuff to find it.
- dllthomas 11y ago
  But you can only mail day-old pheasants between April and August.
rcurry 11y ago
"She was sent through a train’s mail compartment with 53 cents of stamps attached to her jacket." How awesome is that. I bet the kids thought it was cool too - they probably still would today, "Hey kid, you want to ride with the people, or with THE MAIL?"
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
jkot 11y ago
No children was in box etc.. It was replacement for regular ticket, I guess it was cheaper. And comfort in 3th class was not much different.
mdergosits 11y ago
Reminds me of the Velvet Underground song / story "The Gift" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI-YiaWDgB4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI-YiaWDgB4
AnimalMuppet 11y ago
"Mailing May" (http://www.amazon.com/Mailing-May-Michael-O-Tunnell/dp/0064437248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1447284982&sr=1-1&keywords=mailing+may http://www.amazon.com/Mailing-May-Michael-O-Tunnell/dp/00644...) is a good (fictionalized) account of the story in the third paragraph, that of May Pierstorff. (By the way, the town was Grangeville, ID, not Graneville.)
lern_too_spel 11y ago
It's very unlikely to have been socially accepted, or why would it have been newsworthy at the time? http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/mailingchildren.asp http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/mailingchildren.asp
Adaptive 11y ago
I'd like to point out that this is effectively VPNing your child on a USPS port.
peterkelly 11y ago
Then there was the guy who posted himself from the UK to Australia: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31700049 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31700049
pm24601 11y ago
I don't see a problem with this. Can we get this back? :-)

59 points by Raed667 11y ago

dang 11y ago

Url changed from https://boingboing.net/2015/11/08/it-was-once-socially-acceptabl.html https://boingboing.net/2015/11/08/it-was-once-socially-accep..., which points to this.

Raed667 11y ago
weird
- dang 11y ago
  If you read the HN guidelines, you'll see that they ask you to post the original source in cases like this. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
  - Raed667 11y ago
    I know the guidelines, it is bizarre because I'm pretty sure I put the link to the article when submitting.

Animats 11y ago

It's still acceptable to send them by plane. Most US airlines accept "unaccompanied minors", for an extra charge of $150 or so.[1] Interestingly, kids 15 and over can usually just buy a ticket and go; for United Air Lines, it's 12. [1] https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/specialneeds/minors/default.aspx https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/travel/specialneeds...

waqf 11y ago
I went unaccompanied minor on BA once (I'm pretty sure it didn't cost money in those days). I was 15 and would have been fine without, but it turned out to be a great way to skip the queue at immigration at Sheremetyevo.
spike021 11y ago
I took a flight by myself when I was 14. Not too bad. I'd assume if you're younger than a certain age then maybe they have attendants check on the children. For me it was probably the same as if I'd been an adult.
thawkins 11y ago
I used to fly all around the world as an "unaccompanied minor" , having parents who where in the services and posted mainly abroad, I used to travel upto 6 times a year by myself from the age of 8. I usualy flew British Airways (im british).
- OJFord 11y ago
  What? You can post parents as well as children? (Sorry, couldn't resist..)
ghaff 11y ago
I'd certainly expect a 15 yo to be able to fly by themselves without any special procedures. I was flying at that age by myself and don't remember it as being any particular deal.
- fineman 11y ago
  In three more years it'd be appropriate for you to get your own apartment and a job. I'd certainly hope someone was capable of traveling by plane at 15. I think people are a little over-protective these days...
djcapelis 11y ago
Did that a number of times. Was easier when it wasn't required after I was 12 or 14 or whatever the requirement was on Northwest at the time. One time they asked me to walk down the aisle and hand out peanuts. A lot of people seemed to think that was totally cute. Seemed a little strange to me, but was more fun than sitting down and being bored. Was nice to be shown into the lounge area between connecting flights. Unaccompanied flying is totally reasonable thing for children especially with the procedures airlines have in place for younger ones. Though it seems like airlines are making some of those procedures apply to older children now too, which is totally weird.

acchow 11y ago

Across the country by train? How long does that take? How much food and water did they have to bring along?

smt88 11y ago
Trains have served food and water almost since they were first used by travelers, but there have always also been businesses offering those things at some stops[1]. The US used to have much cheaper and more expansive rail travel[2]. One could imagine that with such widespread usage, there would have been service between cities with fewer stops (much like the express trains in New York, which complement the regular, local trains). 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dining_car#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dining_car#History 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transportation_in_the_United_States#Competition_with_trucks_and_automobiles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transportation_in_the_Uni...

1024core 11y ago

I have seen live ducks and beehives being sent by mail in a post office distribution center (P&DC) with my own eyes. I was standing there, and one of the boxes moved. I freaked out, and quickly caught the attention of a USPS guy walking by: hey, that box, that box just moved!! He calmly replied, yes, those are ducks. And then pointed a different box, and said those are bees....

imgabe 11y ago
And that's how you learned about the birds and the bees? Sorry, I'll show myself out...
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
jws 11y ago
My daughter went to pick up her ducklings, goslings, and chicks at the post office. They apologized that they had lost the box. They knew it was in there because they could hear it. They just had to move a bunch of stuff to find it.
dllthomas 11y ago
But you can only mail day-old pheasants between April and August.

rcurry 11y ago

"She was sent through a train’s mail compartment with 53 cents of stamps attached to her jacket." How awesome is that. I bet the kids thought it was cool too - they probably still would today, "Hey kid, you want to ride with the people, or with THE MAIL?"

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

jkot 11y ago

No children was in box etc.. It was replacement for regular ticket, I guess it was cheaper. And comfort in 3th class was not much different.

mdergosits 11y ago

Reminds me of the Velvet Underground song / story "The Gift" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI-YiaWDgB4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI-YiaWDgB4

AnimalMuppet 11y ago

"Mailing May" (http://www.amazon.com/Mailing-May-Michael-O-Tunnell/dp/0064437248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1447284982&sr=1-1&keywords=mailing+may http://www.amazon.com/Mailing-May-Michael-O-Tunnell/dp/00644...) is a good (fictionalized) account of the story in the third paragraph, that of May Pierstorff. (By the way, the town was Grangeville, ID, not Graneville.)

lern_too_spel 11y ago

It's very unlikely to have been socially accepted, or why would it have been newsworthy at the time? http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/mailingchildren.asp http://www.snopes.com/photos/people/mailingchildren.asp

Adaptive 11y ago

I'd like to point out that this is effectively VPNing your child on a USPS port.

peterkelly 11y ago

Then there was the guy who posted himself from the UK to Australia: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31700049 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31700049

pm24601 11y ago

I don't see a problem with this. Can we get this back? :-)