My generation (my sister and I) used to get on our bikes, pedal to the local park and play and get in trouble, right after school. Both of us were pretty thin back then.
If I let my kids do that now I would get arrested and/or have the kids taken away from us.
I was almost arrested once by leaving my kid on a playground and walking across the street to go to a book store to buy a book so I could return to the playground and pass the time as he played. Three cops (two women and a man) ended up following me home in their patrol cars, inspecting my house, making sure my other kid was not ‘abandoned’ (he was with his mom) and that the living conditions were ok. After suffering a severe tongue lashing from the man cop, he convinced the other two female cops to let me go ‘this time’ with a warming (those two female cops really wanted me in jail).
I think this is the main reason for the kid obesity epidemic. Parents are not allowed to let the kids play in the park by themselves and are too busy to ‘pass the time’ at the park, bored out of their minds watching their kids play.
So kids and also my kids spend their afternoons in bed or in a chair looking at their computers and iPads playing video games, getting chubby. (mine are flabby butterballs)
I do realize weirdos are out there that prey on the kids.. that doesn’t detract from my point though, I think thing are a little over the top right.
BTW this all happened in northern California.
Oh I see crazy Kalifornia.
People have actually passed laws to explicitly allow free-range parenting, as it is called.
But we were once Free.