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Today's Poll: Should children be allowed to walk to school and play outside without supervision?

By Howard B. Owens
jeff saquella

I didn't realize there was a story linked to it...just read it as it says an age limit was not defined. So depending on the age will determine my answer. For me I walked to elementary school starting with 4th grade but the walk was short.from trumbull pkwy to jk. That was at a time when we didnt have to worry about the problems that exist in today's world. I would say any child under the age of 14 should probably be accompanied to school. As far as playing outside alone? that age group would probably drop to 12 and under and i would watch them like a hawk....just ask my daughter lol

Mar 26, 2018, 1:42pm Permalink
Howard B. Owens

"problems that exist in today's world ... "

We're safer in America than we were 25 years ago.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/30/5-facts-about-crime-in-…

We live in the most peaceful time in human history

https://ourworldindata.org/slides/war-and-violence/#/title-slide

After a long period of decline, the reported number of rapes is up but that could also reflect a greater willingness by women to report rape

https://www.statista.com/statistics/191226/reported-forcible-rape-rate-…

For children, both physical abuse and sexual abuse have declined

https://www.nsopw.gov/en-US/Education/FactsStatistics

I was in more danger as a nine-year-old running around my neighborhood, in and out of neighbor's yards than a nine-year-old today, and even then, in 1970, the odds of something evil happening to me were infinitesimally small. The odds are even less today.

FWIW: In 1970, some of my best friends were adults. There was the hippie of the block who grew marijuana (he told me tomatoes) in his closet, threw pottery, and took us for rides in his restored 1912 Model T truck, the newspaper advertising executive who drove a Jaguar, the old work-from-home radio DJ, and Mr. and Mrs. Skank who let me come into their house and bang on their piano. My mother was never the least bit concerned, as far as I know.

The closest I ever came to danger, as far as I know, was one Sunday after church when I decided to take the bus home and some stranger in a VW van pulled up and offered me a ride. I think it was a good decision to decline.

Part of life is risk. Part of life is learning to navigate risk. Rarely, there will be tragedies.

But this is not a dangerous world. It's a sweet, wonderful world that deserves to be explored and learned.

Mar 26, 2018, 3:23pm Permalink
jeff saquella

You can link all you want to that statement howard . I say bs....no way is this world safer now than it was when i was a kid. you cannot convince me that it is

Mar 26, 2018, 11:52pm Permalink

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