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]I feel like growing up here, sometime around 1999/2000. I started to see less kids out alone and by the time I had my own kids, it was nearly unheard of to let your child hangout and ride their bikes around town. There were news stories about children free range in this area into the 2010s.

What year would you say things changed?[/quote]

1981. 6 year old Adam Walsh was kidnapped from the toy department of a Sears store and murdered (beheaded). Things were never the same after that. [/quote]

I agree.  That was an earthquake for a lot of parents.  I have young children now and I still think about it.[/quote]

We used to lose my younger brother all the time in the store and never worried because he’d always end up at a checkout stand with a friendly checker or salesperson. Parents thought nothing of letting their kids visit the toy section while they grabbed other items. [b]The idea that your child could be lured out of the store and killed with you just a few aisles away was horrifying[/b]. [/quote]

I remember hearing about Adam Walsh as a kid and seeing his dad on TV (even though I was a few years younger than Adam). It was really jarring to learn about. I lost sight of my 4 year old at the park the other day and even though I was 99% sure he was just hidden behind some piece of playground equipment, my stomach was in knots looking for him. I found him and he was fine, but the bad thoughts jumped into my head first. That little girl Dulce Alvarez came to mind. Your worst nightmare can come true in moments, and I think that has definitely affected our parenting. We’re also more aware of things like kids getting hit by cars on their bike, kids being SA, etc. We know more now for better or worse …[/quote]

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