I read a piece written by my friend Darren today about whether parents still let their kids walk to school. I found it interesting to consider some of the facts, quoted from a Saturday New York Times article:
In 1969, 41 percent of children either walked or biked to school; by 2001, only 13 percent still did, according to data from the National Household Travel Survey. In many low-income neighborhoods, children have no choice but to walk. During the same period, children either being driven or driving themselves to school rose to 55 percent from 20 percent. Experts say the transition has not only contributed to the rise in pollution, traffic congestion and childhood obesity, but has also hampered children’s ability to navigate the world.
I had never really thought too seriously about the issue, because our kids walk to school. Well, Gareth mostly rides his bike until the snow falls, and Naomi only walks if he’s walking (she is only six, after all), but once the riding season is over, they’ll certainly walk together. As well, both Gareth and Naomi have had the opportunity to spend time — with friends — exploring the town without parental accompaniment. Playing down in the ravine behind the school, or in the park at the riverfront, they’ve both learned to stay away from water, keep an eye on the group, and to generally stick together.
But I don’t know if I’d feel the same if I lived in the city.
We’re fortunate that there is far less traffic on our streets than in the city (except for, you know, the highway out front), and that for sure plays a part in the decision to give them more freedom. Having said that, when I was a child, we lived on a quiet side street, and my brother at three years old managed to get mowed down by a car (because he rode out in front of it, btw) and suffered a fairly serious head injury. That vivid memory from my childhood is always present, so we’ve instilled great caution and a healthy amount of road sense in both of them from an early age.
Having said all that, I think that the “free-range kids” movement is a bit much (you really let your nine-year-old out on the subway by themselves with pass and a few quarters? My son’s a highly intelligent, capable kid, and a great cyclist. That doesn’t mean I push him to see if he’ll fall off his bike.). It reeks of the “permissive” parenting movement to me, and that has been one of the most ridiculous, damaging concepts of child-rearing I’ve seen, imho. That, however, is a post for another day.