kids’ free-range
That’s how I was raised, like a wild dog, I turned out OK…
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My dad found a boat on the beach of I believe Long Island when he was 13 or so. He and his brother and dad later fixed it up after the police said no one claimed it. He and his younger brother then puttered around the freaking ocean, going as far as 14 miles off shore to get some monster fish.
I rode by bike to school every day from 2nd grade to 7th, when I moved and lived far enough for a bus. But I had a paper route and had the longest route in the city, including along a short stretch of highway.
My kid has never been truly alone. When I was much younger than her, going to a store was like, “By, mom, we will be at the toys.” I can’t even let my kid be an aisle away from me because her mom sees post on face book every other week about an attempted abduction. 
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There’s a city bus that drops off a whole bunch of unsupervised 10-year-old kids at my daughter’s school every morning in a Vancouver suburb. And my 10-year-old daughter is looking forward to joining them a couple of times a week.
I guess I should expect a visit from child services…
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My wife has done contract work for the Ministry of Child and Family Development. And like any large governmental organization there are some people who are awesome and some people who are idiots. There have been quite a few scandals in the last few years, mostly around children dying and being sexually abused while being in protective care.
My guess is that because of these scandals, rather than actually fix the underlying problems, with adoption and foster parenting, they are just trying to make it seem like they are working hard to protect our kids.
Vancouver buses are safe, especially during the day. They may be crowded at times, but the bus drivers are conscientious and most passengers are polite. I haven’t let my kids (currently 7 and 9) ride on the bus alone yet, but I probably will when I return to the home (currently spending 2 years away from the city).
Fuck the police.
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That was one of the creepiest – if not the creepiest – TOS episode! I think that one gave me nightmares as a kid.
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Here in Norway I know of five year olds who get ordinary buses to school. Just to make it crystal clear: I am talking about now, not some mythical past golden age.
I thought Canada was a sensible place.
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Better not tell the Ministry about my kids then. Small town, so a bit different, but they are pretty free range.
I think the social worker was between a rock and a hard place. Knowing it is bullshit doesn’t mean s/he had a choice, because they would be utterly hung out to dry if they let it go and there was an issue. And statistically, three kids over the course of a decade, somebody is going to break a bone at some point.
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This. If it came out that the MInistry had let it pass and then something, sometime happened to one of the kids, the Ministry would be utterly savaged - and there would be a hue and cry to enact legislation to further restrict the freedom of children ‘for their safety’.
We’re too close to America to be as sensible as we could be.
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My god, Google Maps literally spells it out for those who have a smartphone. I’m not sure if I really feel that bad for a kid with a smartphone who can’t navigate public transportation.
Of course, I saw a small gaggle of teenage boys order up an Uber from the Old Town trolley station in San Diego because they couldn’t be bothered to figure out the bus route, much less wait ten minutes for it.
It had me shaking my head, remembering how I would ride my bicycle for miles outside of Wichita with nothing more than a sack lunch, a thermos of Kool-Aid, and a mental map of what roads I’d traveled.
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I’m actually going to be put to the test very soon myself, as I’ve got a little daughter on the way. I will have to force myself very hard to let her become the strong and independent personality I want her to be. I hope I can do it. One thing is certain, she is going to kid’s Krav Maga class as soon as she’s eligible.
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They’ve probably modernized to multiple security cameras covering up and down the street.
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in Ontario, children can’t be home alone until they are 16.
I mean, I definitely got up to trouble when my parents weren’t home. Played with fire, set up some guitars and amps on the roof and had guitar battles. Pretty harmless stuff. Ish.
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It does but Google doesn’t account for delays or route changes. But here in Austin the metro has more accurate information within their own app and site… but getting to the relevant pages in there isn’t always user friendly. However Google works great about 80% of the time, i have a car now so i don’t have to rely on the bus but when i wasn’t i couldn’t trust it because i couldn’t afford to miss the bus.
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I think it’s really hard to resist today’s parenting culture. It’s important, but it’s hard.
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Just make sure your significant other is on the same parenting scheme. Or train your kid not to blab to mom 
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Ah, the paradox of being a parent, until the day they force you to understand that it wasn’t ever about what you wanted in the first place.
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We’ve always had a ton of sheep. It’s the quality of the shepherding lately that has me down.
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Of course it is, what are you talking about?
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