In rural Georgia, a 10-year-old boy left home and walked a mile down the road to another town, where a concerned citizen called law enforcement. Deputies then arrested the boy’s mother, igniting a debate about parental rights and potential government overreach.
47 year old American. When I was 10-11 I would ride my bike multiple miles to a friend’s house and back, including a section along a busy highway. As a parent, I had my kids walk a little over a mile to their elementary school starting at ages 6 and 8.
43 year old American who at 10 would ride a bike over a mile to school and spent my summers pretty much going wherever I wanted on my bike or walking. But things have definitely changed.
People have forgotten their own childhood and see kids on their own as troublemakers. Or like in this case, they feel they know better than parents.
We’ve also given up what little walkability we had to wider streets with higher speed limits. The small town where I grew up has significantly more people and more and larger intersections. Many of the roads have also been widened.
Finality, policing has changed. At least where I grew up officers were members of the community. They were there to uphold the law and would rather take you home or talk to your parents than charge or detain you. It would have been national news for a cop to handcuff and detain a 10-14 year old, now it is expected and celebrated. IMO policing is a profession that has lost its humanity. They are enforcers, not peace officers.
47 year old American. When I was 10-11 I would ride my bike multiple miles to a friend’s house and back, including a section along a busy highway. As a parent, I had my kids walk a little over a mile to their elementary school starting at ages 6 and 8.
43 year old American who at 10 would ride a bike over a mile to school and spent my summers pretty much going wherever I wanted on my bike or walking. But things have definitely changed.
People have forgotten their own childhood and see kids on their own as troublemakers. Or like in this case, they feel they know better than parents.
We’ve also given up what little walkability we had to wider streets with higher speed limits. The small town where I grew up has significantly more people and more and larger intersections. Many of the roads have also been widened.
Finality, policing has changed. At least where I grew up officers were members of the community. They were there to uphold the law and would rather take you home or talk to your parents than charge or detain you. It would have been national news for a cop to handcuff and detain a 10-14 year old, now it is expected and celebrated. IMO policing is a profession that has lost its humanity. They are enforcers, not peace officers.