This was true in New Jersey in the 1970s. When I was 5 years old, I had to walk to school on my own, just like all the other 5 year olds in my neighborhood. We

This was true in New Jersey in the 1970s. When I was 5 years old, I had to walk to school on my own, just like all the other 5 year olds in my neighborhood. We would walk to school together. The school was not quite a mile away. At the time, it was considered normal that kids would walk to school on their own, starting at age 5. this is still normal in some countries, but it is no longer normal in the USA.