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How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

freerangekids.com

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Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#141

Post by someguydave »

m_mueller wrote: post #123
TWAndrews wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can mostly trust Swiss people to be that honest. It doesn't work like that everywhere.

Isn't that a chicken-and-egg problem? IMO if a society treats people like responsible adults they'll rise up to the task. The question is of course how to transition there. I can't say to have any recipes, but I'm reasonably sure that taking away civic rights is counterproductive. Maybe try to get one electable political party that makes it their thing to protect and even expand citizen's rights and allow for more se…

>IMO if a society treats people like responsible adults they'll rise up to the task.

That's one hypothesis. Another is that trustworthiness is a genetic trait.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#142

Post by zanethomas »

In 1956 I was 6 years old in Pasadena, CA. We lived in a trailer park on the east side of town. Each morning I went down to Colorado Blvd, by myself, wait for a city bus, rode half way across town, got off the bus and walked a few blocks to a private school, reversing the trip each afternoon.

I don't think people have changed, I don't believe the world is more dangerous, so why can't kids now do what I did?

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#143

Post by WalterBright »

NamTaf wrote: post #37
m_mueller wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a Swiss with a small child, this is the main reason why I couldn't move to the US or UK. Your 70ies examples are still common enough in Switzerland. 6 year olds are sent to Kindergarden on their own (after a bit of training with their parents). Put the visibility triangle on and off you go. Parents are discouraged by the school authorities to bring by car. Today looking back at this I can see the value. Maybe it h…

To be fair, in a recent brief visit to Switzerland I stayed with some friends in a small village near Zug and saw examples of this sort of attitude throughout more aspects of life than just child-raising. For example, many farmers were leaving produce out with price tags on and relying on an honour system for payment. Some did a 'pay what you want' system for their produce and just relied on people to do the right th…

I attended Caltech in the 70s, and the Honor System there is similar. It worked well.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#144

Post by vermontdevil »

FrancoDiaz wrote: post #10

I have a 4 year old, in my mid 40s, and think about this a lot for some reason. In the 70s during the summer, when I was around 7, we would wake up, eat breakfast, go out and about wherever we wanted, come back for lunch, out again, come back for dinner, and then out again past dark to play flashlight tag. I think I would be charged with child endangerment these days if my kid (3 years in the future) was doing stuff…

My problem is neighbors. They would call the cops instead of talking to me if they saw my daughter out there biking or playing. Can't they just chill and keep an eye out? I do for their kids and even let them play on my lot.

Nope - they all hide behind the drawn in curtains and think there's pedophiles lurking in my backyard bush.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#145

Post by Gustomaximus »

cknoxrun wrote: post #104
Gustomaximus wrote: post #42

As another in a long line that identifies with this, my partner and I are taking steps to buy a small acreage on the outskirts of a city where we can 'free-range' our kids whilst giving me access to city work. While we also want this lifestyle we think this is super important for our young'uns (5&7) and I'm more than happy to accept the additional commute to give them this. This will take my commute to about 90 min e…

I am very lucky, the core of my city has a practically untouched river valley running through it. My kids play in the creek and woods near the river every day. But from there we are a 10 minute walk to downtown. Are there no wild places downtown where you live?

Very much have access to bush. I'm in suburbia in the middle of a national park: https://goo.gl/Chb3fU

We want to take that further with an acreage for animals, hobby farmer experience, rural lifestyle vs city suburb etc. I know we might hate it in reality but we'll never know if we dont try.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#146

Post by Kluny »

freehunter wrote: post #140
Kluny wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Media is part of it, but the other part is this, taken from the first comment on the linked article: "I can’t help but notice how many freeways and roads are between Sheffield and Rother Valley. We can’t blame parents alone for the loss of childhood freedom. Since 1919 We have purposely designed our cities to maximize vehicle throughput and require car ownership and the result is an environment that is lethal for 8 y…

After reading the parent I was about to say "I'm almost 30 and I barely feel safe wandering alone". Not just crossing major roads (I live downtown in my little city, but I have to cross a major road to get to any shops, which puts a big damper on my walking) but just one person walking down the road, by themselves? It's almost a scandal. And if I'm biking around town, especially not dressed in spandex like a bicyclis…

Yeah, it's weird as hell to be the only person walking on an empty street.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#147

Post by JustSomeNobody »

FrancoDiaz wrote: post #10

I have a 4 year old, in my mid 40s, and think about this a lot for some reason. In the 70s during the summer, when I was around 7, we would wake up, eat breakfast, go out and about wherever we wanted, come back for lunch, out again, come back for dinner, and then out again past dark to play flashlight tag. I think I would be charged with child endangerment these days if my kid (3 years in the future) was doing stuff…

Adam Walsh was murdered in the early 80's. John Walsh scared the sh out of everyone because of it.[0]

[0] I'd like to think I'd be as tireless at trying to find my son's killer as well, so not trying to be disrespectful here.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#148

Post by someguydave »

Kluny wrote: post #114
FrancoDiaz wrote: post #10

I have a 4 year old, in my mid 40s, and think about this a lot for some reason. In the 70s during the summer, when I was around 7, we would wake up, eat breakfast, go out and about wherever we wanted, come back for lunch, out again, come back for dinner, and then out again past dark to play flashlight tag. I think I would be charged with child endangerment these days if my kid (3 years in the future) was doing stuff…

Media is part of it, but the other part is this, taken from the first comment on the linked article: "I can’t help but notice how many freeways and roads are between Sheffield and Rother Valley. We can’t blame parents alone for the loss of childhood freedom. Since 1919 We have purposely designed our cities to maximize vehicle throughput and require car ownership and the result is an environment that is lethal for 8 y…

Another reason is that things are generally very spread out in the US. Since it was taken for granted that everyone has a car, house lots are large and commercial areas are far from residential areas.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#149

Post by space_fountain »

Kluny wrote: post #114
FrancoDiaz wrote: post #10

I have a 4 year old, in my mid 40s, and think about this a lot for some reason. In the 70s during the summer, when I was around 7, we would wake up, eat breakfast, go out and about wherever we wanted, come back for lunch, out again, come back for dinner, and then out again past dark to play flashlight tag. I think I would be charged with child endangerment these days if my kid (3 years in the future) was doing stuff…

Media is part of it, but the other part is this, taken from the first comment on the linked article: "I can’t help but notice how many freeways and roads are between Sheffield and Rother Valley. We can’t blame parents alone for the loss of childhood freedom. Since 1919 We have purposely designed our cities to maximize vehicle throughput and require car ownership and the result is an environment that is lethal for 8 y…

Yep I (20 year old) rode a bike quite often down to say the public library about two miles, but it was all sidewalks on slow roads. It's one of the things I really miss about where I live now. It would be almost criminal to try having a kid ride to the library from here.

Re: How Children Lost the Right to Roam in Just 4 Generations

#150

Post by greedo »

megablast wrote: post #96
lotu wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say it isn't just that you can "afford" to let them off the leash more it's that you don't have the time/energy to keep track of them. If you are dealing with an infant a toddler and a 5 year old, you are simply won't be able to follow the 8 year old around. Let's say they run off with some frinds with out permission you can either leave the 3 other kids alone to find you 8 year old (who is going to be home w…

What? You could put them in the car and drive around. What else are you going to do, running on foot to find them?

Good luck finding me when I'm climbing in chaparal canyons looking for rattlesnakes. The only cars that ever made it out to where we hung out were beaters driven by horny teenagers willing to offroad in the hopes of getting some action.
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