Crime was ALLOT worse for most of the twentieth century. Hell in the mid Seventies and early Eighties it was at least twice as bad, but we ran the streets from before sun up til sundown on a daily basis. I am talking 5, 6, 7 years old.
I had my first paper route at 10 years old, a weekly Sun News route. I had a full 100 paper daily Plain Dealer route at twelve, Delivered 100 papers daily BEFORE 6 am at twelve years old. ALONE! My brother had 100 of his own. We collected the money OURSELVES alone every week or month, can’t remember. Everyday, including Sunday, no breaks no days off. We filled out paperwork, kept records, reported our progress and solicited new business, regularly. All before being teenagers.
I had my first 40 hour full time summer job at 12 working the summer janitorial crew at my Catholic School for $2 an hour. Made $3.35 the next year, minimum wage. This on top of the paper route.
My brother and I would go to the park about 3/4 of a mile away daily at 8 am with two other boys and play baseball ALL DAY. We where truly unsupervised. No cell phone, no ride, just a bike, no adults. Oldest kid was 7 or 8. Never had a problem, made lots of friends at the park. This wasn’t any small town or suburban park. This was Cleveland in the neighborhoods.
At 13 when I started High School, I took the RTA trains from my far West Side neighborhood to Buckeye And East BLVD to go to High School. I had to walk to the end of the street, pick up a metro RTA bus, transfer to the Red Line trains, transfer from their either at Union Station (Tower City) or on E 55th to the Low level Blue/Green Line trains and WALK 1/2 mile from E 116th St rail station to my school, DAILY for four years. about an hour each way. BTW that part of East BLVD is now MLK Dr. so you know how nice that neighborhood is and was, 1981.
Never had a ‘play date’ in my life. Never heard of a car seat, never wore a helmet to ride a bike. It is amazing that we lived to adulthood.
Today’s kids are pussies!
your story was quite similar to mine. My mom still tells the story about my 1st day at school. At the 1st recess I walked home and mom said, “what are you doing here?” I said “I had enough of that.” She said “Oh yea.” and marched me back and the nuns said they never missed me. I thank God I didn’t grow up with zero tolerance, I luckily grew up in a large family and could always deny it was me. I think I’d have been locked up had it not been the military for me when I came of age. I don’t know how my mom made it through all the stress I put them through.
My 17-year old disagrees...would like to talk to you privately about it...in the backyard...unsupervised :)