http://www.nysun.com/editorials/why-i-let-my-9-year-old-ride-subway-alone
and thought, WOW, that sounds like something i would do! but of course, had i done it, child services would have been called, an investigation would have been made, a "file" would have been created, etc.
BUT, i totally agree with what this mother did. i'm sure her son had been with her many times on the subway, so it wasn't as if it were a foreign concept to him. it was more of an adventure. kids don't seem to have adventures anymore ...
i'm amazed at how children aren't allowed to do anything on their own. i even recall one mother saying of her 6 year old daughter, that she was never to be alone (for purposes of safety). that "no one ever complained of having a bad childhood because they were with a friend". that was the craziest crap i had ever heard.
are kids more wimpy these days? or are they overly coddled? or are the wimpy because they are overly coddled? and how is this going to affect them when they reach adulthood?
as a parent, i do whatever i can to put my children in situations where they are on their own and relying on themselves and their decisions. for example, they each go to different schools (so that they are not compared to each other, but based on their own actions, AND so that they have to deal with difficult situations on their own, without sibling back-up). another example ... i sent them away to camp as soon as they were old enough. i didn't ask them if they wanted to go. i didn't ask them if they would be afraid to go. i just told them that they were going. and they went. and they LOVED it. there was no question as to whether i would come back and get them in the middle of their 4 day 3 night stay. i wasn't going to, and they knew that. they weren't lost, maimed or molested. they just had fun.
more importantly, they learned that they could be away from mommy and rely on themselves.
this summer, my oldest is going to military camp. alone. 7 days and 6 nights. he'll be the youngest kid there and he can't wait.
my 6 year-old is insanely jealous.
perhaps i'll let the 6 year old ride the bus somewhere ...
4 comments:
Well let me tell you something about me. When I was about nine years old, I lived in St. Louis county. I rode one bus and one streetcar to downtown St. Louis, on broadway, to purchase a piano music book. It was very easy going downtown, because I knew how to do that easily. However, when it was time for me to return I was a little perplexed. However, I did figure it out and came home safely. yeah ! ! !
maybe 9 is the magic number!
and i'll bet you were all the better for it!
I'm a little out of my element with the child rearing conversations since I don't have any kids but...
I think the dangers facing kids today are greater or are at least more known. Television and the internet put every horrific story about bad things happeing to children in the front of our consciousness everyday. As a result, parents are probably crazy not to make adjustments in the liberties extended to their kids. I grew up and could roam my whole neighborhood on my bike and I LOVED IT. I think I would be scared to death to let my son or daughter out like that today.
The kids will pay the price. They are being coddled a lot more, and will be less independant. So I guess structured activities where they get to be more independant like the camps that were mentioned are the next best thing.
I'm a father of a 2.5 year old boy. I see how every day he is doing and exploring new things. It's very exciting for me to see how he's developing. I don't have any ideal when I would allow him to camp out, over night without me. I guess I have a lot of maturing to do as a parent. What a savvy parent you are . Keep up the great work.
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