I didn’t watch the interview. (Youtube videos are frowned upon at work.) I’ve read some interviews by the FreeRangeKids mom. I find myself agreeing with her quite a bit.
When I look at what I was allowed to do growing up – it’s night and day to today. I walked to school from kindergarten on… in a group… but no parents. Most parents drive their kids. We chose to walk our kids – but did stay with them. And it’s an apples to apples comparison. I live in the house I grew up in, and my kids attended the same school I attended. We had other parents question why we’d make young kids walk so “far”. (It was about 0.5 mile.)
I rode the bus from UC to Clairemont starting in 7th grade. This was a public bus. That same year I started taking ballet classes through the park and rec’s department – in Balboa Park – took the bus, including a transfer at the PRE-MALL Horton Plaza. No one thought that was unusual for an 11 year old girl.
I’m considering having my son take public transit home from his middle school next year. It will involve a transfer downtown. Friends think I’m nuts. But he’s a responsible kid. My husband is not convinced yet.
We’ve tried to teach the kids basic skills – like cooking. I have friends who don’t let their kids use the stove… for fear of the house burning down. (I’m more worried about messes and food waste.)
For those that say it’s different, more dangerous now… I call BS. There were child predators then. There was a flasher that flashed a girl walking home from elementary school back in the day. (The police later caught him.). She reacted properly – she screamed, and ran home – drawing all the parents out as she ran by.
We can’t protect our kids – we can train them to make good choices… but that means actually let them out into the world.
