Letting kids wander unsupervised

[AcuraTech]

Was listening to a segment on NPR about a small town Mississippi mom who let her son walk to soccer practice. She was later scolded by a police officer after people who saw the boy called 911. Because he was walking unsupervised. The boy is 10 years old.

I also see an article every few years about how the percentage of kids who walk or bike to school is down to like 10%. Meanwhile, the line of minivans waiting to pick kids up after school becomes blocks long. No wonder kids are such fat a**** these days.

I'm not that old (28), I used to have to walk or bike to school every day, starting in 1st grade. I almost never got a ride from my parents, even for sports practice or going to friends houses. I wasn't limited to a 1 block radius either, only limitation was being home at a certain time. Granted, I lived in a town of 12,000 with a daylight crime rate of virtually nil, but still. I wasn't alone either, I don't remember ANY of my friends getting rides to and from school, unless the weather was inclement.

Seriously, kids need to wander. It's what they do. All of this over protection and coddling makes kids weak and needy. No wonder they can't get off the teat until they're 30.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

My how times have changed. My parents grew up in an era where a car wasn't necessary as everything was within 1 mile walking distance--school, groceries, pubs, etc.

I used to ride my bike everywhere when I was a kid. Wandering, as you say. My parents didn't haul my aXX everywhere, I rode my bike to football practice (riding home was awful after wind sprints) and baseball practice.

The later we give kids responsibility the longer it takes them to grow up.

 

[XS650]

In 1950 when I was 8 years old I lived in Spokane Washington, a city of about 100,000. I not only walked to school, I was allowed to ride the city bus downtown to go the the YMCA. That wasn't all that unusual then.

 

[AcuraTech]

I know a few people like this, who as kids were never let out of their parents site. Pushing 30, they still live at home or are heavily dependent on parents for financial aid.

Also heard something a few years ago about how kids are losing their sense of "internal GPS" because they never get to go anywhere outside of the backseat of a car. Maybe true, I wandered around constantly as a kid, and can still point North wherever I go without blinking.

 

[oilyriser]

The goal is to make child-rearing as inconvenient as possible. It's much cheaper to have immigrants do all the work.

 

[rationull]

I'm only mid twenties and I used to walk home from school all the time around a mile away. Used to wander around the city with friends all the time on foot, bikes, or rollerblades after school and on weekends. This was a city of 40k people attached to LA. Never felt unsafe, and all my friends did it too.

I am SO glad I never have occasion to drive around near any of the schools around here at peak times. Working near the university is bad enough for traffic.

 

[MarkC]

I used to wander constantly, unsupervised and alone. Walking, swimming, doing kid stuff.
Never had a worry about anything.

 

[moribundman]

When I was ten, and when I wasn't in school, I was out and about, alone or with my friends, unsupervised, doing the things boys do.

I grew up in a town of a little over 40,000 people. From 4th grade, the school allowed us to ride bikes to school. Before then we had to walk, take the bus, or be dropped off due to liability reasons. I rode my bike to school throughout the year, even in the snow and on icy roads from 4th through 13th grade (last year high school -- A level). I lived about 2.5 miles from my school(s), although I did get my first car during that last year of high school.

At age ten "my territory" that I roamed, extended about 7 miles beyond town limits. Me and my friends went on bike trips, went swimming in the local ponds, lakes, and in the river (The Danube!). We went camping in the woods, and snuck into movies we weren't supposed to see. In the summer we stayed out way until after dark and with permission we stayed out overnight, for example when camping at the lake. All of that happened unsupervised. The only time we got in trouble was when a local forester (has cop-like privileges in his territory) caught a bunch of us kids plinking with BB guns and BB rifles at targets we had set up in a duck pond. He just gave us a stern talking to and let it be at that.

As kids we were aware of dangers, and we all were taught to use common sense when dealing with strangers. I do have however to say that crime, especially violent crime, was almost nonexistent in rural Bavaria in the '80s. I pity kids who grow up in these very different times that we have now.

 

[TooManyWheels]

Starting in maybe the third or fourth grade (early sixties) I walked 1.5-2 miles to school. A couple of years later I regularly rode my bike on heavily trafficked roads for household errands up to about 5 miles away. Played in the underground storm drainage tunnels, abandoned houses, etc. All of this in a large city.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: TooManyWheels
Played in the underground storm drainage tunnels, abandoned houses, etc. All of this in a large city.


Construction sites were our favorite playgrounds! They were not fenced in or boarded up then.

There was a ca 1,000 feet long, curved tunnel (6 feet tall, 12 feet wide) through which a small creek (6 feet wide, 2 feet deep) ran. The tunnel was completely dark, but it was a shortcut that we often used when we were on foot or on bike. The tunnel began at a culvert next to a junk yard, passed under the train station and emerged at the town's cemetery (5 foot wall, no problem). When trains were rumbling overhead it got quite claustrophobic in that tunnel. We usually had matches or lighters for marginal illumination, sometimes we went ahead totally in the dark. As I mentioned, the tunnel was curved. You couldn't see the other end until you were halfway through the tunnel. Fun times!

 

[aaxb970]

I used to be gone riding my bike all summer...never any problems but now...too many creeps plus I looked like a scarecrow no one was interested in kidnapping me!

 

[TooManyWheels]

Exploring those tunnels could be quite an adventure. We didn't go in them often enough to have explored all the different branches, so there were many new experiences. The complete or near darkness added to the drama. I'd guess you would sometimes go a third to three-fourths of a mile, not knowing where you would end up, or if you would be able to find your way back.

 

[PandaBear]

Martial arts, guns, and ammo.

Your kids can go anywhere with these 3.

 

[moribundman]

Many kids have a black belt in nintendo. It's scary!

 

[Shannow]

When I was 5, I lived in Bendigo (Vic). School was about 1-1.5km up the road that we lived on. I'd walk to school most days, and most of the time, Mum would stand at the gate and watch me leave. That was about it.

Some great creeks and 6'pipes running under the road. Back in the days when you could find tadpoles in waterways.

Now, our daughter's school is 250m up the street, and you'd have rocks in your head to let a 6 year old girl walk to school on her own.

Mum and Dad used to find babysitters in the phone book...now there's no such listing.

 

[Turk]

I was free to roam and wouldn't say much to my parents, maybe just "I'll be outside" - maybe.

A 1/2 mile walk each way to school was common. Why take the bus?

I'd help farmer friends a lot and me & my nephew would roam 100's of acres killing snakes, wander, etc. when we were done for the day!

My Daughter is overly-cautious, her mom coddles her bigtime (been divorced a long time). She's 21 1/2, still hasn't had a date (saving herself for marriage which is great), doesn't have a driver's license yet, etc. Some good things, others, not so good at all. Thank God I got her in Karate when she was 13...

 

[crinkles]

i roamed some rank creeks (in suburbia) back in the day. places where hobo's made their home in the banks... me and my best mate once got chased by one, we were only 9... times of our lives.

 

[Bambam]

I roamed around too,totally unsupervised

BUT


how prevalent was crime back then,crime against children??? Far too many whack jobs out there today. Smothering no,but definetly more thought and planning is needed with todays youth.

 

[IndyIan]

I think statistically nearly all crime is way down, even kidnapping of kids, of course there are way less kids unsupervised these days. Also most child abuse is by family or people trusted with kids, not by strangers.
We just hear about it more often these days...
I live near a few small towns and kids are definetly still out and about, not so many 8 year olds unsupervised but 10 and up are out biking or whatever.
My biggest concern is people driving while texting or using the cell phone at 40 mph through the streets... But maybe that's canceled out by way less drunk drivers?
Ian

 

[TooManyWheels]

If I were a child now I would be much more worried about danger from other kids than from adults. When I was growing up, the "gang" thing wasn't what it is today. Kids weren't carrying weapons, defending territory, having initiations, transacting drugs, etc.