tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477131299817733843.post5715378356460328980..comments2023-05-26T10:44:37.150-04:00Comments on The Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snake: On Free-Range KidsBi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10486453438350039642noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477131299817733843.post-38361533941701020592009-07-02T20:21:19.463-04:002009-07-02T20:21:19.463-04:00A friend of mine said the same thing about Eastern...A friend of mine said the same thing about Eastern Europe, although in a different context. You can rely on other people to keep your kid in line if he/she is being a ratbag. Strangers will tell them off and correct their behavior. Imagine trying to do that in USA! You'd have an outraged parent threatening to call the police... instead of apologizing for their poor parenting (as they ought to be doing). Oh, my kid has a condition, or a syndrome, or his bio-rhythms are out of sync or something. His bad manner has nothing to do with the fact that I never try to correct his bad behavior and how dare you suggest such a thing!FSN9https://www.blogger.com/profile/03507902572399042822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477131299817733843.post-91909640360042315442009-07-01T19:44:23.780-04:002009-07-01T19:44:23.780-04:00Skenazy sort of skirts around this issue a bit. I...Skenazy sort of skirts around this issue a bit. I do think it's a valid one. "Free-ranging" your kids will only work as well as it used to if everyone does it, and for more reasons than simply the number of kids out and about. We've lost the cultural habits of looking out for each others' kids. In previous generations, parents could let their kids run around in part because they could trust that the community as a whole would be looking out for them. <br /><br />Other cultures have retained this; I saw a sign on the (exceeding crowded and dangerous) Mumbai commuter trains that read something like "Young children traveling the trains alone need your attention. Please watch out for them." <br /><br />The presumption that commuters should take responsibility for other people's kids is utterly foreign to American sensibilities, and particularly unexpected in the heart of one of the world's biggest cities. And I like it.Bi-Coloured-Python-Rock-Snakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10486453438350039642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477131299817733843.post-34449946970587433982009-07-01T18:56:47.232-04:002009-07-01T18:56:47.232-04:00While I generally agree with the premise of the bl...While I generally agree with the premise of the blog, there's one important distinction between now and the 70s. When I grew up, there were kids all over the place, walking to school, playing in parks, etc. So, if there was was sicko out looking to target a kid, your chance to getting picked was relatively low because of a multitude of targets, plus there were many people to witness and call for help. Now, because of all the restrictions on children, if I do let my kid out and about in the same way I used to roam around, chances are he'll be one of the few kids in sight, and thus much more likely to get targeted if there is a sicko on the loose, and he would have far fewer people to call for help. In other words, these people trying to shelter their kids have actually made it more dangerous to use the "free range kids" method of child rearing. I hate it, but that's just how it is.FSN9https://www.blogger.com/profile/03507902572399042822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477131299817733843.post-25836328480491326972009-06-28T17:54:40.514-04:002009-06-28T17:54:40.514-04:00::snort:: The way it's going, the only thing S...::snort:: The way it's going, the only thing Sparkle will ever use "lady shoes" for is to clock people in the head!Elephantschildhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14610471467736150461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477131299817733843.post-9262809519040201382009-06-28T16:00:14.035-04:002009-06-28T16:00:14.035-04:00I was, to some extent, a free-range kid as well. &...I was, to some extent, a free-range kid as well. 'Tis the best way!<br /><br />EC, how will Sparkle ever learn how to wear "lady shoes" (Evan :D) if she doesn't spend time in such company? :PHannahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01245769983222676482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4477131299817733843.post-3602936767686326972009-06-27T16:57:54.570-04:002009-06-27T16:57:54.570-04:00I generally agree, except when it comes to putting...I generally agree, except when it comes to putting my 7 year old daughter unaccompanied into the company of adult men whom I do not know and which are not trusted close relatives. <br /><br />I won't let Sparkle roam in and out of neighborhood houses, which seems to be customary around here. <br /><br />And she will not spend the night at a friend's house if the Dad is not a close personal friend of ours, and maybe not even then. <br /><br />But otherwise, I love the premise of the blog. It's no wonder so many teens are infantilized; they're being raised to be so.Elephantschildhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14610471467736150461noreply@blogger.com