[condor27596]

I feel so sorry for kids and parents.

We went down to the junkyard a couple miles. Cut forks off bikes and smashed them on ours to make choppers.
Made forts in trees and below ground. Made bows and arrows and chopped stuff with axes.

I could go on and on. Many of you were there.

We actually had AC but did not run it. All the more reason to roam.

We had firecrackers and bottle rockets.

[MD Optofonik]

Can't find the link - read this Friday.

Some poor single mother in Indiana was just arrested for allowing her 11 year old daughter to go alone to the park to play. Nosy parent asked where her mother was. When the child said, "At home'" the busybody cell-phoned the Police.

Charged with child endangerment. Daughter is now 'in the system.'

Let me preface what I'm about to say. I am "that guy"; the guy who calls the cops when something truly suspicious or dangerous is happening. I have zero tolerance for criminal behavior where I live and work.

Now to the point.

Behavior "outside the box" is neither criminal nor deviant and a policy of tolerance for outside the box thinking and behavior should be a part of our "village" consciousness, especially during a period in our history when times are very trying for everyone; for struggling parents in particular. Just the opposite seems to be happening, however. "We" are being conditioned to report anyone whose behavior falls outside of the strictest of sense of so called "norms" and there is a dangerous 20th century precedent for such "reporting".

My father was a construction worker, my mother a waitress, and I, a so-called "latchkey kid". As of today I prefer the term "free range" kid in the truest sense of the term (thanks, monochrome). My freedom to range is part of what taught me to be independent and tolerant. It was not the so-called "ideal" childhood (if there was such a thing at the height of the 70's divorce trend) but the independent vibe stuck and I grew into a fiercely independent thinking adult who followed an "out of the box" career path and an evidently "out of the box" value system. It's a value system that allows me to appreciate and and empathize with the struggle of those who struggle as my parents did.

Make no mistake, struggling (truly struggling) parents make it a point to raise kids who are strong and know how to survive. Many succeed; more than are given credit for. Today, too many seem to be vilified.

Sorry for the rant but I saw that news article when it hit the media and it struck a nerve. The woman is trying her best to raise a child while working at McDonald's (an entirely different topic not for this site). I know I am giving her the benefit of the doubt but in my mind, until she is proven guilty of it, she is innocent of bad parenting.

[Kayaker-J]

The other sad thing about this that it won't be that many years till we reach a point where no one remembers these times and the isolationist, constant fear, way of living is regarded by all as the norm and that's how it's always been.

Absolutely dead on point. Not to make a political point directly, but, as a perfect and objective example: there are people in this country in an ongoing state of red-faced, vein-popping outrage over federal tax levels at or below those my middle-of-the-middle-class parents paid in the mid-1950's. This total lack of perspective is pathological... but yet, a norm. Apparently we are all entitled to near-zero responsibility and a fairy godmother granting wishes these days.

[ChrisPlatt]

Lenore Skenazy, author of Free Range Kids is a voice of reason.
She speaks truth - and common sense!


Why I Let My 9-Year-Old Ride the Subway Alone

Fifth Annual Take Our Kids to the Park...and Leave Them There Day

http://www.freerangekids.com/

Chris

---

Last edited by ChrisPlatt; 07-31-2014 at 06:09 PM.

[Racer X 69]

Back in the days of my childhood, we left the house on summer mornings with the instructions to be home by dinner, which was 6:00 at our house. We played in the woods, swam at the beach, played baseball just about anywhere there was room. We also knew all the "old people" around and regularly made our rounds for the daily snacks. I had one elderly neighbor who was quite good at putting my bicycle back into working order. Nobody knew where we were but we never seemed to get away with anything either. The neighbors were our safety net, not people to be feared.

Even though I lived in many different neighborhoods growing up (dad was a lifer in the Navy) they were pretty much all the same as you describe.

Unfortunately, I think those days are gone. A good parent today teaches their kids to be wary and suspicious and to trust nobody. It's sad but it also has to be that way.

What I don't understand is why there are ,if indeed there really are, so many weirdos about that to quote reeftool". A good parent today teaches their kids to be wary and suspicious and to trust nobody. It's sad but it also has to be that way."

My folks taught us to never accept candy from strangers or rides in their cars. And we always knew the difference between the friendly neighborhood people and the freaks and weirdos.

And I came across my share of them too.

Older teenage boys lurking in the shadows with an offer of one thing or another trying to lure us to who knows what. Creepy adults (usually male) offering a ride or inviting us into their home for "candy" or "toys".

I remember hearing the grown ups talking about reports of this pervert or that molester. It was usually when I was playing inside because the weather was rainy or cold. And as I mentioned, we always knew who was OK and who wasn't.

As for the perception that there are more of these sick people now than there were then I think it appears that way because the population has grown dramatically in the last 50 years. And with so many ways of getting news and information we are more aware of situations where people are mistreating our children.

[monochrome]

Absolutely dead on point. Not to make a political point directly, but, as a perfect and objective example: there are people in this country in an ongoing state of red-faced, vein-popping outrage over federal tax levels at or below those my middle-of-the-middle-class parents paid in the mid-1950's. This total lack of perspective is pathological... but yet, a norm. Apparently we are all entitled to near-zero responsibility and a fairy godmother granting wishes these days.

You are quite correct.

The sum of Federal Income Tax paid by 19.7% of our households is zero Federal Income Tax. Zero. None at all. Some of these households actually are paid money directly by the government - the Child Tax Credit and/or Earned Income Credit - when they file their Tax Returns.

The sum of Federal Income Tax paid by 49.7% of our Households is 11.7% of all Federal Income Tax paid.

The sum of Federal Income Tax paid by 10% of our Households is 68.1% of all Federal Income Tax paid.

Beginning in 2013, according to the CBO, it is expected 10% of our Households will pay a larger share of total Federal Income Tax paid.


SOURCE: Congressional Budget Office using 2010 data - the most recent report, released in 2013.

[condor27596]

Thank you for your source of income distribution.

My ex wife made almost $40k last year, with an additional
$32000 in child support and alimony from two husbands.
She paid no income taxes and received an earned income credit
of $3200.

I paid all expenses related to my daughter 100 percent including 140 miles a day
travel to get her and drop her off (4 or 5 days a week). 100 percent medical including
using an ambulance as a taxi because she was out trying to correct a criminal delinquent
daughter (not mine).

Now. Tell me something I don't know so I can have a surprise lol.

---------- Post added 07-29-14 at 08:01 PM ----------

And yeah, I actually do know, because she was required to submit to me a financial affidavit as well as
copies of every account associated with her name for the past 12 months.

[grhazelton]

It's not "free range" but...

BBC News - 'Junk' playground The Land, Wrexham inspires US guests

Here's a link to an article in The Atlantic Monthly. The Overprotected Kid - The Atlantic This describes pretty well childhood when I was a kid. I'm now 70, and I cringe when I see what parents are doing to their kids by not allowing them to "range." I really doubt that there were any fewer horrendous incidents when I was a kid, perhaps those which did occur weren't as widely publicized?

[Dewman]

I really doubt that there were any fewer horrendous incidents when I was a kid, perhaps those which did occur weren't as widely publicized?

I think you have hit on the truthfulness of the subject, sir. With today's instant communication, everytime someone passes gas, the entire world knows about it in miliseconds. I do believe that in relation to actual population, the per-capita rate of meanness is a rather constant factor.... with some countries/societies more prone than others to commit such acts.

Dewman
SW Idaho

[MarkJerling]

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a very familiar soft knock at my door. It was two of my little neighborhood friends, Angel and Lila.

Dewman
SW Idaho

Do you know their parents? Could be that they'd be happy to have them visit, so long as they knew where they were. A simple "Did you remember to tell your parents who you were visiting?" might be OK. It's pretty sad, in today's society, that us blokes need to be automatically seen as a risk.

[normhead]

You can never be too careful...

I was out in the hallway of my school, with two teenage girls, one of them walked down the hall to get something from her locker, the other waited beside me outside my classroom. Her friend, reached to the top of her locker on her tip toes, tall skiing girl backlit in the hall way, sunlight from the window streaming through the window. I said "That's nice" thinking it would have made a nice picture. The girl beside me said, 'Did you say she has a nice ass?" It was days before I heard the end of it.

[Dewman]

The question begs an answer!

[Winder]

Crime Statistics : Free Range Kids

Its a lot safer today that in was 20 years ago.

[penguinsoda]

Back in the mid 60's, I was growing up in a small...and I mean small... population about 300...town in Idaho. My parents owned a farm equipment place at that time, and the only thing I remember them telling me has I wandered around either alone or with friends was to stay away from the train tracks.

When I was around 6-8 years old, we has a guy that worked for my parents. I don't remember his name... I think I called him Mr. Mudd because I couldn't pronounce his real name correctly. He called me Woody because at that time I loved Woody Woodpecker and could do the Woody laugh pretty good. Anyway, I remember going to his house to visit and harass him. I remember he lived in a small little place, and I would go inside and.....

Nothing happened. He probably gave me a soda and some candy and called my mom or dad in case they were looking for me, but I didn't worry about going to see him and I don't think my parents did either.

Of course I also recall a time in the same time frame I was walking home from school I think, and happened to be alone and not with the 2 or 3 others I usually walked with, and a car pulled up beside me on the sidewalk and asked me if I would show them were something was or something for some candy. Thank heavens for living in such a small town.... who ever it was that lived in the house I was standing in front of apparently saw what was happening and knew that the car was not one that belonged to anyone in town (and I'm sure knew who I was) and came flying out of their house and sent them on their way....

So things did happen back in the day... but I think we had more trust. Or maybe it was just being in such a small community were everyone did know everyone else and knew who could and could not be trusted.

Seriously, I'm just glad I'm not raising kids right now, and I don't envy my daughter and what she will face raising my new grandson.

[Dewman]

Back in the mid 60's, I was growing up in a small...and I mean small... population about 300...town in Idaho. My parents owned a farm equipment place at that time, and the only thing I remember them telling me has I wandered around either alone or with friends was to stay away from the train tracks.

When I was around 6-8 years old, we has a guy that worked for my parents. I don't remember his name... I think I called him Mr. Mudd because I couldn't pronounce his real name correctly. He called me Woody because at that time I loved Woody Woodpecker and could do the Woody laugh pretty good. Anyway, I remember going to his house to visit and harass him. I remember he lived in a small little place, and I would go inside and.....

Nothing happened. He probably gave me a soda and some candy and called my mom or dad in case they were looking for me, but I didn't worry about going to see him and I don't think my parents did either.

Of course I also recall a time in the same time frame I was walking home from school I think, and happened to be alone and not with the 2 or 3 others I usually walked with, and a car pulled up beside me on the sidewalk and asked me if I would show them were something was or something for some candy. Thank heavens for living in such a small town.... who ever it was that lived in the house I was standing in front of apparently saw what was happening and knew that the car was not one that belonged to anyone in town (and I'm sure knew who I was) and came flying out of their house and sent them on their way....

So things did happen back in the day... but I think we had more trust. Or maybe it was just being in such a small community were everyone did know everyone else and knew who could and could not be trusted.

Seriously, I'm just glad I'm not raising kids right now, and I don't envy my daughter and what she will face raising my new grandson.

Thank goodness there was someone there to look over you. Who knows, you could have disappeared and would never been heard of again. Things like that can happen so fast - literally in the blink of an eye. Some mighty sick folks roaming amongst us, that's for sure. I always worried about my daughter, when her mother and I divorced back in the late 70's. My ex would have men, different men, every night of the week "visiting" her and I was always concerned that something of an ugly nature might happen. My daughter and I are very close and we've discussed this issue a great deal and she assures me that NOTHING of that nature ever happened. But, still..... just knowing the POTENTIAL for something like that is very difficult to live with.

Dewman
SW Idaho