Reply to Looking back, when did things change? When did we stop letting kids wander freely outside?

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Reply to "Looking back, when did things change? When did we stop letting kids wander freely outside?"

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[quote=Anonymous]I graduated from high school in 2000 and my brother in 2004. We both definitely grew up with the ability to roam freely. We went to the park without supervision all the time. Once I was 12, I was deemed old enough to watch my brother and we were allowed to stay home alone during the summer. We were allowed to play outside in our neighborhood only. We also had to call and check in with our mom three times a day: when we woke up, 1 PM, and then 4:30 PM before she left for work.

When I was 14 we were allowed to go to our community pool alone because at that age I was considered someone who could "supervise" others by our HOA. We were also allowed to start walking to places near our neighborhood like 7-11 and Mcdonald's. Once I got my license we were allowed to drive to my cousins' house, the library, and the mall during the summer.

We 100% did not obey those rules at all. We roamed all over. We figured out public transportation on our own and used it to go where we wanted. And then getting my license was total freedom! One time we hatched a plan with our cousins to go to Ocean City on our own. My brother and I told our parents we were staying that night with our cousins and they did the same. We packed light bags Friday morning after checking in with our mom and headed off at ages 17, 16, and two 13-year-olds. HOW I was calm enough to drive on the Bay Bridge at 16 is beyond me! We made it, though. We spent all Friday afternoon on the beach and took naps because we had nowhere to sleep that evening. We ended up roaming the boardwalk until around 3 am and then finding a parking lot to kind of sleep in the car for a few hours. We spent all day Saturday on the beach and headed back home at around 3 PM that afternoon. We never got caught. It's also still one of the best memories from my childhood that I have!

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