Free Range Kids

[Leo Lyons]

I wasn't complaining or bragging. It was an hour and a half of fun and an example of the difference between the 50s and today.

"Just funnin' wit ya."
I was thinking of the many times I've seen someone writing about difficult situations when they walked to school; which really is nothing to ridicule, but the snow keeps getting deeper

[billy.pilgrim]

I wasn't complaining or bragging. It was an hour and a half of fun and an example of the difference between the 50s and today.

"Just funnin' wit ya."
I was thinking of the many times I've seen someone writing about difficult situations when they walked to school; which really is nothing to ridicule, but the snow keeps getting deeper

When we complained about walking in the cold to school, mom would tell us about all 4 of them riding to school on one horse, each clutching the hot just boiled egg my grandmother gave them to keep their hands warm - and for lunch later.

Her story didn't work, we were all envious of how cool it must have been to ride a horse to school.

[Leo Lyons]

When we complained about walking in the cold to school, mom would tell us about all 4 of them riding to school on one horse, each clutching the hot just boiled egg my grandmother gave them to keep their hands warm - and for lunch later.

Her story didn't work, we were all envious of how cool it must have been to ride a horse to school.

Reminds me of our taking our lunch to school wrapped in a dishtowel stuffed into a one-gallon tin Karo syrup bucket. Mom used to leave a tail-end piece of the towel sticking out and push the lid down, but not locking it in, and warning us not to push the lid down all the way, or we couldn't open it. Mom was right. One day, my teacher had to get the janitor to bring a screwdriver and pop the lid.

Telling this story to a group of kids at a school one time elicited the same reaction; how cool it was to take your lunch to school in a syrup pail!

[Vrede too]

When we complained about walking in the cold to school, mom would tell us about all 4 of them riding to school on one horse, each clutching the hot just boiled egg my grandmother gave them to keep their hands warm - and for lunch later.

Her story didn't work, we were all envious of how cool it must have been to ride a horse to school.

I would have started asking for boiled eggs on cold mornings, too.

[Vrede too]

... I walked 2 miles to mom's jr high job from my elementary in the 1st and 2nd grade....

I first read that as, "I walked 2 miles to mom's jr high from my elementary in the 1st and 2nd grade," missing the word "job". I was already trying to craft the perfect crack about southerners when I reread it.

He left out "through 2 feet of snow".

Parents charged with manslaughter after their 7-year-old son fatally struck by car in North Carolina

Their "crime"? They allowed their son and his 10 year old brother to walk 2 blocks home from the shopping center.


I can't remember exactly how much freedom I had at 7, but by 10 I was a free range kid and would have been trusted to accompany a 7-year-old.

Manslaughter, really???!!! On top of their tragedy is insanely cruel.

The Gastonia Police Department email address is police@gastonianc.gov . I've sent a note.

[1 CAT FAN]

Los Angeles California at it again

In an interview with ABC7, owner Jeremy Salib said about two-dozen high schoolers took armloads of merchandise including candy, chips and beer during the "premeditated, organized" theft.

"Of course, they're gathering -- so many of them -- that I can't stop just one kid, right? It's 24, 25 kids, so it leaves me kind of helpless -- especially with LAPD saying they can't do anything about it," Salib said.
https://abc7.com/post/gas-station-owner ... /17399425/

[O Really]

Fairly often there are flip-through articles about things that were normally done 30-40 years ago and are no longer done. They're usually presented with a (really dumb) headline about things that "confuse" young people. Well, I'm sure that a person's parents or grandparents stories about how things were in the past are rarely if ever "confusing" although some would certainly be considered strange. Here's one example of that type of article, and really, if you've seen one you're pretty much seen them all as they all list the same stuff.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/us/older ... 87#image=1

Most are always just stuff like using dial phones (gasp!), "appointment TV" with few channels, extensive smoking, etc. Can't you just feel the "confusion"? But one thing is on most of the lists that is confusing - "drinking out of the garden hose." Sure, I've done it - probably most everybody else has at one time or another, but when did it become something that would make people aghast to see somebody drinking from the hose? Is it no longer done? Did hoses become more toxic? Are kids/people accustomed to bottled water just afraid of tap? Do they no longer need to use hose water in the yard because they're always carrying around their Stanley Cup? Do helicopter parents consider hose drinking to be as dangerous as, say, climbing a tree or maybe equivalent to playing stickball in the street? What am I missing here?

[Vrede too]

... one thing is on most of the lists that is confusing - "drinking out of the garden hose." Sure, I've done it - probably most everybody else has at one time or another, but when did it become something that would make people aghast to see somebody drinking from the hose? Is it no longer done? Did hoses become more toxic? Are kids/people accustomed to bottled water just afraid of tap? Do they no longer need to use hose water in the yard because they're always carrying around their Stanley Cup? Do helicopter parents consider hose drinking to be as dangerous as, say, climbing a tree or maybe equivalent to playing stickball in the street? What am I missing here?

First I googled, not necessarily the best:

Is it safe to drink from a garden hose? Exploring the Risks and Alternatives

It raises the question - If drinking out of the garden hose is sketchy, do we really want to grow our vegetables or even water the lawns kids play on with that water?

[O Really]

Source of water for all RV'ers.

Spoiler:

[Vrede too]

Source of water for all RV'ers.

Spoiler:

Fresh water hoses for RVs are PROBABLY “drinking water safe” as mentioned in the article. Your pic:

Product Overview

Camco's premium drinking water hose is specifically made for drinking. This heavy duty reinforced 1/2 inch ID drinking water hose is 20 percent thicker than standard hoses. It is made in the USA.

Reinforced for maximum kink resistance
Hose is made of PVC
BPA free

[O Really]

I'm thinking the only significant risk is item 2:

2. Bacterial Growth
Garden hoses can also harbor bacteria, especially if they have been sitting in the sun or stored improperly. The warm, moist environment is ideal for bacterial growth, potentially leading to stomach illnesses or infections if consumed. Some common bacterial contaminants include:

Salmonella: Can cause severe gastrointestinal illness.
E. coli: A well-known bacterium that can lead to severe food poisoning.

Along with not necessarily knowing what the end of that hose was used for last.

[GoCubsGo]

I still drink out of the hose. There's a dog wash hose at the dog beach. If I'm thirsty I'll drink.

So far, so good. If I disappear, you'll know why.

[Vrede too]

I still drink out of the hose. There's a dog wash hose at the dog beach. If I'm thirsty I'll drink.

So far, so good. If I disappear, you'll know why.

I always have, but about those kidney stones . . .


Here we go again:

A Virginia mom let her 5-year-old walk alone. A debate over modern parenting ensued.

How old is old enough to walk alone?

For Virginia mother Karyann Parkinson, the answer was 5.

On June 5, she let her 5-year-old son, Samuel, walk half a mile to a pond in their gated community to collect goose feathers, a route she says he knows well and that they had just done together. The outing ultimately led to a criminal conviction and her placement on the state's child-abuse and neglect registry.

Harsh.

Parkinson has become the latest inadvertent symbol of a growing movement that believes children need more independence. Her conviction has reignited a debate over how much freedom kids should have and how much government oversight is appropriate in parenting. It's also placed a spotlight on free range parenting, a philosophy that emphasizes free play, increased independence and limited parental intervention.

GoFree KidsGo

... "They can do more than you think they can, and as you allow them to do that, they're going to build all this confidence," says Parkinson, who studied family science at Brigham Young University. "I just love to give my kids those chances to have a little success under their belts, and you have to build that, you can't expect kids to suddenly be able to walk down the street on their own if you don't give them the chance."

... A police officer and Child Protective Services visited that day. Parkinson was eventually charged and convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to records viewed by USA TODAY. She was sentenced to six months of suspended jail time and also added to Virginia's child abuse and neglect registry for the next seven years. According to CBS, the conviction means she can't do certain things, such as volunteering at her son's school.

... Children are typically ready to navigate streets without guardian supervision around age 10, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Factors like traffic environment, travel length, and a child's maturity all impact when a child is ready to be unsupervised.

And yet, many American children have less independence than that.

A Harris Poll survey conducted of kids ages 8 to 12 found that most respondents aren't allowed to be in public without an adult, and more than a quarter aren't allowed to play unsupervised in their front yard. Research from the conservative think tank Institute for Family Studies found that more than 60% of 17-year-olds cannot go beyond their own neighborhoods unsupervised.

... Laws also vary by state on when children can be left without adult supervision. Illinois, for example, doesn't allow children to be left alone under the age of 14....

Ewww, they might drink out of a hose?

[neoplacebo]

Too many variables. the kid could be a fucking stable genius or the route to the pond could be vastly free of vehicle traffic. And it's not likely that some random killer would be prowling around a gated community (the cat pan's favorite fantasy). I'd call it a case of mistaken identity and demand diplomatic license plates and entry into the witness protection program. And four beers.

[O Really]

I'm not defending child labor, but it was as late as the 1930's that 11 year olds were working in factories. And way more recent than that when they might take a note and a dollar down to the corner bodega to pick up cigarettes (and maybe a beer) for their dad and a piece of candy for themselves. What happened that now they're not even capable of walking to school and back?