"I really think I’m a parent who is afraid of some things (bears, cars) and less afraid of others (subways, strangers). But mostly I’m afraid that I, too, have been swept up in the impossible obsession of our era: total safety for our children every second of every day. The idea that we should provide it and actually could provide it. It’s as if we don’t believe in fate anymore, or good luck or bad luck. No, it’s all up to us. Childhood really has changed since today’s parents were kids, and not just in the United States. Australian children get stared at when they ride the bus alone. Canadian kids stay inside playing video games. After I started a blog called Free Range Kids, I heard from a dad in Ireland who lets his 11-year-old play in the local park, unsupervised, and now a mom down the street won’t let her son go to their house. She thinks the dad is reckless. What has changed in the English-speaking world that has made childhood independence taboo? The ground has not gradually gotten harder under the jungle gym. The bus stops have not crept farther from home. Crime is actually lower than it was when most of us were growing up. So there is no reality-based reason that children today should be treated as more helpless and vulnerable than we were when we were young. If parents all around us are clutching their children close, it’s easy to understand why: It’s what pop culture is telling us to do. Stories of kidnappings swamp the news. Go online, and you can find a map of local sex offenders as easily as the local Victoria’s Secret (possibly in the same place). Meantime, if you do summon the courage to put your kids on a bus or a bench or a bike, other parents keep butting in: An unwatched child is a tragedy waiting to happen." - Paul Buchheit from Bookmarklet

I've brought this up a few times before. Parents don't even let kids go outside their own property anymore. I understand, but it seems to me exploring is an important part of a kid's development. - Rodfather

This is a good one. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news... - Rodfather

The nation of Flip Flops and bike helmets has lost its mind -Kids 100% safe, 24/7 365 is impossible. we want it! In the next breath we condone 500 million tainted eggs... Really is it all a reactin to Baby Boomer Parenting and will it lead to helicopter velcro parents. So is your kid playing in the park alone about safety or about something else... So no I don't understand why kids can't be kids bu lets be clear its not about them or safety - WarLord

Thing is, if anything does happen to a kid, the first thing everyone does is blame the parents. There was a kid killed fairly recently at Fort Wilderness (Disney campground) by a bus - and the overwhelming majority of comments were - why on earth was a 9 year old riding a bike without adult supervision? What kind of parent lets their kid do that? - Pixie

My first thought when reading this story was "how old is old enough to ride the subway alone?" Apparently the rules say 8. But really, I think the parent's judgment is the best bet. I'm pretty sure I walked 4 blocks alone to school when I was in sixth grade (10). I also started riding my bike about 2 miles around that age to pick up newspapers for my paper route. - Robert Felty

I walked a mile home from elementary school all the time, and it never occured to anybody that it might be dangerous. If I had to cross any major streets, though, things might have been different. - Gabe

Rob & Gabe: That was before safety was invented. - April Buchheit

I wish I could remember the details, but either Lewis or Clark as a teenager used to walk across two states, alone, to get to their farm. I remember when I read that little factoid I thought my, how things have changed. That would scare the crap out of me. - Todd Hoff

I'm surprised by how children are bestowed independence suddenly, rather than being eased into it. I very much believe this to be the root of a lot of social problems. Children are taken to and from school every day, with parents carefully monitoring who they talk to after school, and then when they turn 16 they're given a license and a car (and the freedom that comes with it) and are expected to not abuse their new privilege. Children are taught about the perils of alcohol and are punished if they come anywhere near it, but then one day -- the day they turn 21 -- the tables are turned and they're expected to drink responsibly, and not test the limits of the newly found freedom. - Tudor Bosman

I would go further and say that this happens because parents are looking for easy solutions. It's easier to say "don't touch alcohol, ever, and when you're 21, you're on your own, and no longer our responsibility" than to teach moderation (preferably by example). It's easier to say "don't have sex, at least until you turn 18 or until you no longer live in our house, whichever comes later" than to have long, complicated conversations about sex and love and various relationships and why they're not all the same, and then provide the emotional support that teenagers need (but are too proud to ask for it). - Tudor Bosman

Exactly Tudor. - Paul Buchheit

I walked to and from school 1st grade to senior year. In middle school I had to walk across town, sometimes without my friends. I never gave it a second though. I was a latchkey kid for many years so I was used to being fairly independent. One half day (high school) I asked my dad if I could go to McDonalds for lunch. He forgot and flipped out at me for going missing. "You could have been face down in the snow." There are levels of independence that make sense. Kids can't learn to be safe if someone always controls the safety for them. - Heather

I wonder if this is why so many kids aren't ready for the real world when they're 20. - Amit Patel

Here in PA, it's illegal for parents to give alcohol to their own children. I grew up in a household where, as a small child, I'd occasionally get watered-down wine with meals; better to think of it as something that tastes bad than as something wonderful that only adults get. - Phil Pennock

I grew up in a household where wine was just a part of religious ceremonies, not a beverage. Every week we'd have a Kiddush cup of wine. It's hard to imagine such a thing being illegal! - Gabe

Phil: irresponsible parenting mandated by law! That's great. - Tudor Bosman