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 fri

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.