3 ms·

In 2nd grade, around 1990, I was allowed to walk home alone, just mapped it and it's about half a mile. My mother would have been at work and wouldn't get home

In 2nd grade, around 1990, I was allowed to walk home alone, just mapped it and it's about half a mile. My mother would have been at work and wouldn't get home for 2-3 hours after me. Very simple rules. Don't stop and talk to anyone who isn't a family member or a police officer. Once home, lock the door (I would literally wear a key around my neck) and don't answer it for anyone but the police or a family member. Never use the stove (probably a special requirement for me since I was already cooking at that age). The next year we moved and my walk home was a bit longer, my grandfather was home which was nice since I didn't come home to an empty house. I'm not sure if it was that year, or a year or two later, but I was allowed to basically bike wherever I wanted in town as long as I didn't go past some pre-defined boundaries. Just doing some math on that now it's roughly 1.5 miles in any direction and I mostly followed that restriction. The only rule was that I had to be home before the streetlights came on. I didn't have a cell phone. I didn't have any way to call the police if someone tried to abduct me. By all statistical crime measures children are safer today than they were when I was a kid. Today you're able to give your child a device which you can use to constantly GPS track them, they can call/text you or the police at any time. And, yet, somehow we've infantilized children and removed their agency and I don't know why but I really fear for the consequences of it.

DavidPeiffer 4y ago
I used to ride my bike to my friends house, 1 mile away. This probably started in about 3rd grade. The compromise I reached with my mom was that I'd call my friend, we would leave at the same time, and ride to one of our houses together (so 1/2 the time riding alone). There was one time where a guy in a truck slowed down and was lagging behind us a bit. We turned down a side street and he kept following us. We were on sidewalks, so we just turned around quicker than he did and raced away. In retrospect that was legitimately scary. In middle school, I could ride wherever I wanted. I'd ride to garage sales, buy used puzzles, then spend hours completing them at home. To think that those opportunities wouldn't be available is sad. >And, yet, somehow we've infantilized children and removed their agency and I don't know why but I really fear for the consequences of it. In grad school I worked with a fellow from China. At the age of 3, he would go to the nearby market to buy some groceries for the family, cook food, and hang out at home alone all day. He was shocked at the attitudes in the US.
porbelm 4y ago
My brother and I also played outside until the streetlights turned on, sometimes walking quite a few miles in the general area. Visiting friends from 4th grade, biking three miles to/from school, etc. Once a red Volvo 240 stopped and tried getting my brother to approach for some candy. I pulled him away and we went inside, because I'd heard rumours about some dude in the area trying to nab kids. I was about eight and he was six. Because we had learned to not talk to strangers that weren't our parents or relatives or public officials like police, medics and fire crew in uniform or in uniformed vehicles. If someone stops while we're waiting for the school bus and offers to drive us home it's not OK to get in the car unless our parents had asked our teacher to tell us that one specific family member would pick us up. Basic good upbringing, really...

DavidPeiffer 4y ago

I used to ride my bike to my friends house, 1 mile away. This probably started in about 3rd grade. The compromise I reached with my mom was that I'd call my friend, we would leave at the same time, and ride to one of our houses together (so 1/2 the time riding alone). There was one time where a guy in a truck slowed down and was lagging behind us a bit. We turned down a side street and he kept following us. We were on sidewalks, so we just turned around quicker than he did and raced away. In retrospect that was legitimately scary. In middle school, I could ride wherever I wanted. I'd ride to garage sales, buy used puzzles, then spend hours completing them at home. To think that those opportunities wouldn't be available is sad. >And, yet, somehow we've infantilized children and removed their agency and I don't know why but I really fear for the consequences of it. In grad school I worked with a fellow from China. At the age of 3, he would go to the nearby market to buy some groceries for the family, cook food, and hang out at home alone all day. He was shocked at the attitudes in the US.

porbelm 4y ago

My brother and I also played outside until the streetlights turned on, sometimes walking quite a few miles in the general area. Visiting friends from 4th grade, biking three miles to/from school, etc. Once a red Volvo 240 stopped and tried getting my brother to approach for some candy. I pulled him away and we went inside, because I'd heard rumours about some dude in the area trying to nab kids. I was about eight and he was six. Because we had learned to not talk to strangers that weren't our parents or relatives or public officials like police, medics and fire crew in uniform or in uniformed vehicles. If someone stops while we're waiting for the school bus and offers to drive us home it's not OK to get in the car unless our parents had asked our teacher to tell us that one specific family member would pick us up. Basic good upbringing, really...