5 ms·

When I was a kid in Iraq (1990~) going to school by yourself was very natural. Our school was nearby so we walked every day. Other kids took the bus. The only

by hasenj 10y ago

When I was a kid in Iraq (1990~) going to school by yourself was very natural. Our school was nearby so we walked every day. Other kids took the bus. The only thing amusing in the article is how Americans are amused by this. I remember on my first day to school my mom took me there, but she didn't come to take me home. I was one of the few kids that cried because my mom wasn't there. Later, I felt embarrassed by that. Our school organized some kind of a school trip about once or twice a year. I was the odd kid whose parents would not let him go on the trip. For everyone else, it was a natural part of school that they looked forward to. Needless to say, the parents do no join the kids for the trip.

bambax 10y ago
I'm not American (thank God!) but I can understand that in the US you need a car if the school is several miles away and there's no serious public transport option...
- toyg 10y ago
  It's not just that. In Italy, when I was a kid (mid-80s), it was normal for 8-year-olds around the "paese" (which in my case was a city borough) to just walk to school. We would meet up on the way, and it was pretty fun. Same for going back, although we were expected to have someone at home. Now people freak out if a child is without adult supervision for 5 minutes, because of pedo-paranoia; nevermind that abuse cases are overwhelmingly done by relatives or close friends, which means the more you ask for an adult to be with kids, the more you're actually putting them at risk. Thanks, fearmongering mass-media and hollywood.
  - Joof 10y ago
    US here. We also walked / biked to school. I lived in suburbs though and can't speak for everyone.
  - 77pt77 10y ago
    > Now people freak out if a child is without adult supervision for 5 minutes, because of pedo-paranoia pedo-paranoia was also a think while I was growing up. I totally remember the talk regarding not accepting rides from people nor candy. My parents deny that they ever said such things because those were "idyllic times", but they sure did.
- Johnny555 10y ago
  several miles away You don't need a car to travel several miles, not even in America My office is "several miles" from home, and I bike to work. And while I live in a mild climate now so weather is on my side (winter temps rarely go below 50), decades ago when I was in college, I biked to campus even in the winter (which included ice, snow and below freezing temps)
77pt77 10y ago
> When I was a kid in Iraq (1990~) going to school by yourself was very natural. Our school was nearby so we walked every day. I don't think you understand. I walked to school also, from age 7 or so. Japan is different in that many of these children take public transportation in places likes Tokyo and that they do this very very young. On top of that it's not uncommon for parents to send their children on errands also alone. We're talking large densely populated metropolis. This is something very peculiar to Japan (I'm not saying unique) and I suppose very different from your experience.
- icebraining 10y ago
  Per the article, only 1.7% of schoolchildren take the bus, the vast majority walk, like many of us did.
  - 77pt77 10y ago
    Bus usage is negligible in large cities. They take the trains/subway.
    - icebraining 10y ago
      The study includes all public transportation in the 1.7%, citing the number of "walkers" at 98.3%: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477970/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477970/
    - newhere420 10y ago
      When you refer to large cities, are you referring exclusively to Japanese cities? In Europe, buses are an integral part of the transport network in many major cities.
      - 77pt77 10y ago
        Yes, only Japan. The train usually reigns supreme.
  - 10y ago

by hasenj 10y ago

bambax 10y ago

I'm not American (thank God!) but I can understand that in the US you need a car if the school is several miles away and there's no serious public transport option...

toyg 10y ago
It's not just that. In Italy, when I was a kid (mid-80s), it was normal for 8-year-olds around the "paese" (which in my case was a city borough) to just walk to school. We would meet up on the way, and it was pretty fun. Same for going back, although we were expected to have someone at home. Now people freak out if a child is without adult supervision for 5 minutes, because of pedo-paranoia; nevermind that abuse cases are overwhelmingly done by relatives or close friends, which means the more you ask for an adult to be with kids, the more you're actually putting them at risk. Thanks, fearmongering mass-media and hollywood.
- Joof 10y ago
  US here. We also walked / biked to school. I lived in suburbs though and can't speak for everyone.
- 77pt77 10y ago
  > Now people freak out if a child is without adult supervision for 5 minutes, because of pedo-paranoia pedo-paranoia was also a think while I was growing up. I totally remember the talk regarding not accepting rides from people nor candy. My parents deny that they ever said such things because those were "idyllic times", but they sure did.
Johnny555 10y ago
several miles away You don't need a car to travel several miles, not even in America My office is "several miles" from home, and I bike to work. And while I live in a mild climate now so weather is on my side (winter temps rarely go below 50), decades ago when I was in college, I biked to campus even in the winter (which included ice, snow and below freezing temps)

77pt77 10y ago

> When I was a kid in Iraq (1990~) going to school by yourself was very natural. Our school was nearby so we walked every day. I don't think you understand. I walked to school also, from age 7 or so. Japan is different in that many of these children take public transportation in places likes Tokyo and that they do this very very young. On top of that it's not uncommon for parents to send their children on errands also alone. We're talking large densely populated metropolis. This is something very peculiar to Japan (I'm not saying unique) and I suppose very different from your experience.

icebraining 10y ago
Per the article, only 1.7% of schoolchildren take the bus, the vast majority walk, like many of us did.
- 77pt77 10y ago
  Bus usage is negligible in large cities. They take the trains/subway.
  - icebraining 10y ago
    The study includes all public transportation in the 1.7%, citing the number of "walkers" at 98.3%: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477970/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477970/
  - newhere420 10y ago
    When you refer to large cities, are you referring exclusively to Japanese cities? In Europe, buses are an integral part of the transport network in many major cities.
    - 77pt77 10y ago
      Yes, only Japan. The train usually reigns supreme.
- 10y ago