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][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]When moms started all working, daycares exploded.   Kids were no longer raised at homes.  This happened after the 90’s.  Two spouses worked to support the family.  [/quote]

All of these developments disgust me.[/quote]

You’re a disgusting misogynist. [/quote]

But they aren’t incorrect. The ability of children to roam freely was partially dependent on the fact that communities were communities. People knew each other, socialized and helped each other. This community was largely built and maintained by women. Even in the latchkey families there was the knowledge that there were other people around in whom they could depend. When more women started working that community was weakened. If I fell off my bike a mile from my house, I could go to Mrs. jones who would clean me up and call my mom. When the bus didn’t show, there was a mom or dad going by who would have all the kids pile in and drive them to school. When we walked to school the older kids looked out for the younger. One of the biggest losses is the cross gender/age play that we had. You add in a bit of hysteria, new laws about kids being supervised, competition and no one home, you get what we have now. The kids aren’t ok. The parents aren’t ok. [/quote]

This is succinctly written, and (unfortunately) correct. 
-working mom by the way[/quote]

I was wandering our neighborhood in early elementary. I knew if something happened and my mom wasn’t home (she was a SAH) I knew like 8 other parents in our neighborhood who I felt comfortable knocking on their doors and asking for help. My parents weren’t even that good of friends, and kids ranged from 5 to 17, and we all knew each other and knew families. We only lived in that neighborhood for 3 years, so these weren’t people we had known forever.

Before 5th grade I moved to another city and I roamed about 1 square mile on my bike or on foot. I don’t know so many families, but there always seemed to be someone out in their yard or walking their dog, and that made me feel safe.

I also did lots of stupid stuff but it gave me confidence and built self-reliance. Grownups were around but we usually tried to solve it ourselves.

I think it also mattered that everywhere we loved before the DMV had sidewalks. We live in Bethesda and there are so few sidewalks. I’m not letting my kids roam until they are mature enough to realize that cars are not looking out for them, [/quote]

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