Trapping Children Indoors

This reminds me of a cruel irony: far more children are hurt or killed whilst being driven to school or by someone driving to school, than are actually abducted on the way to and from school, the primary fear that contributes to so many being driven.

Another great example: how it's not OK for kids under 12 to be at home alone.

http://www.preventchildabuse.org/publications/parents/downloads/home_alone.pdf

"It is generally believed however that children under the age of 12 should not be left home alone."

https://www.preventchildabusenj.org/blog/2010/11/05/is-my-child-ready-to-stay-home-alone/

Or out with a parent or even a babysitter:

http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/cop-suspects-dad-walking-with-his-kid-of-being-a-predator-adds-you-should-thank-me/

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2012/02/me-apd-and-babysitting-while-white-part.html

This is so sad. I was already obvious when I was a child in the 70s and is now ridiculous, IMHO. May I "share" this on my LJ?

*IT* was already obvious!

My parents were ahead of their time with this. My sister and i were not allowed to roam with the neighborhood kids; I still remember being in bed at 9 pm in the summer, when all the other kids were playing kickball just outside our house... It was an abusive household, which is why my parents were so into CONTROL.

We let K be pretty free-range. She wandered the neighborhood, and DID walk to school for a few years... both of which were pretty rare by then.

In the seventies, I walked a mile to school from kindergarten to third grade, bus for 4/5, walked a short distance to middle school, and bused far for high school.

I walked to the pool, the park, and biked to the library. I spent a good deal of time outdoors (with a book) so I wouldn't stagnate indoors.

My kids get booted outdoors in our small community, which is away from a lot. They were excited to be sent to the playground down the block from grandma's by themselves. I hadn't realized how curtailed they were compared to me until how proud they were to be let out on their own, practically within shouting distance.

Pedophiles and child nabbers are greatly exaggerated danger. They are the modern bogeyman. Serial molesters are extremely rare; most kids who are molested are molested by family, friends, or other trusted adults. Most kidnapped children are kidnapped by family. This society is falling apart, being driven apart by overhyped dangers that are largely imaginary to begin with.

Children need freedom. That is just all there is to it.

When I was a kid, I would roam freely. I was usually close enough to home to be called home with a bicycle horn that Mom and Dad would honk until I got home. If I were a kid today, I think my parents would give me a cell phone instead, but would still let me roam, because they are intelligent enough to know that most of the dangers people talked about were overhyped even then. They trusted me to be smart enough to not get into a car with someone I didn't know without the password. Yes, we had a password in case they had to send someone after me because of an emergency. We never had to use it, but it was neat to have it.

There were times when I wandered so far afield that Dad had to drive around looking for me. He considered it only mildly annoying, I think. I was usually with my best friend Justin, but often I would wander off alone. And all my life, I never broke a bone, never was in major danger, never got talked to by any suspicious strangers, and never got offered drugs. I was a sophomore in high school before anyone even so much as offered me alcohol, to which I politely said no, and they were cool with that. About the worst thing to happen to me during my childhood was the time I had just seen Back To The Future, and tried to go 88 MPH on my bike down this enormous hill in our yard. I hit a bump and went flying, became skinned up pretty bad. Home was only a half a block away, but I couldn't even make it that far; went instead to one of the neighbors, who helped me out and then took me home.

Over the years, I've become convinced I'm blessed. I've had a lot of cuts that should have resulted in scars, even got burned a few times, and never scarred. Everything heals with time, for me. I've even had dreams about losing hands and growing them back. Not going to test that one, though. :-D

In the late 50s, I was was restricted from crossing the street until round age 4. After that, I was allowed to wander for several blocks to play with neighbor kids, including being out *well* after dark a few times in the summer.

Walked 6 blocks to school for fitrst grade, 10 for second and third. And almost a mile for swimming and gymnastics lessons.

The fact that I couldn't ride a bike limited me until I was in 4th or 5th grade, when I finally picked it up.

By 4th grade I was walking 2 miles to school. And wandering several miles thru the woods and down by the river.

By junior high I was ranging a dozen or more miles on my bike. (that'd be late 60s)

In the late 70s, a friend got the cops called on her when we were at a restaurant and her son was being a pill, so she had him go out to her car. Which was parked 6 feet from our table.