Mom to Mom

[RetRN]

to be legal in Utah. Any thoughts?

[Mz iMac]

Future serial killers

[itsmagic]

When I grew up (back in the day) I remember walking or riding my bike everywhere during my elementary school years without an adult by my side. But now I don’t feel like it is safe. 

[Kitlynn]

I think growing up in a small rural town where we rode our bicycles all over town and walked all over was great. However it wasn't what I would call free range parenting. We all knew we had to be home for dinner and that our chores had to be done before we could go out and play. Parents looked out for all of the children and you knew if you did something you shouldn't your parents would know before you even got home. The world is not like it was back in the day and I think you have to really watch your children and know for yourself what is going on with them these days. Even back then in a large city you would never have been able to let your children just go all over. The first lessons we learned that for every action there was a reaction and you knew you didn't want the negative one.

[Glitter51]

That’s whats wrong with the world today!!! We need to get back to actually raising and disciplining our children. So many people wants to be their child’s “friend “ instead of being the parent.  Children need and want to be paid attention to. The world has gone crazy IMO.  

[kitcat51]

Hard to believe that a law needs to be passed to allow children to walk to & from school, go to a playground or go anywhere by themselves with their parents permission. A  parents responsibility is to judge their childs abilities & give them the freedom they can handle.

[Carmie]

When I grew up, we walked to school, rode our bikes in the street and waited in the car while our parents ran an errand.

i remember when my youngest sister was born.  I just turned three, my brother just turned one and we were left in the car the hospital parking lot in June with the windows open while my father went into the hospital to pick up my mother and baby sister.   No car seats or seat belts back in those days.

I remember that a nurse was with my mother pushing a wheel chair to the car and I  remember being responsible for my little brother until my parents came back.

You can’t do that today, legal or not.  it’s not the kids who do the wrong things and can’t be trusted.  There are too many crazies out there preying on the kids.

[sweetee2]

Things aren't the same as they used to be. Dumbest thing we have ever done. Just asking for trouble.

[jpie]

Children need to be loved, cared for and nurtured.  Not everyone is suited nor do they have the skills to be an effective parent.

[Mominohio]

Well I had to look it up, to be sure I knew what it was.

I have to say that with a bit of common sense in use, it is a good thing. We are over the top today, up our kids hoo haas, micromanaging their every move, helicopter parents. 

The world is indeed different than the one we grew up in, but bad things happened back then too. Our little town, in the late 50's had two little girls raped and murdered on the train tracks, back in the day when people thought this kind of thing never happened. Danger has always been there.

We found safety in numbers, walking to school in groups, playing outdoors in groups if out of our own yards, and everyone in the neighborhood was your parent. If you were doing something dangerous, they called your mom and you got away with very little. 

I think common sense needs to be used, but we are raising kids that can't make decisions, need constant supervision and direction, don't know what it is like to be alone and learn skills we all took/take for granted in judging situations, people, etc. 

I think it is sad that we need laws both to protect children, and to protect parents that want to teach responsibility. It should all be pretty common sense, but it doesn't seem to be for some people.