The second best dad in America.
 

The Article.

I left my 9-year-old at Bloomingdale’s (the original one) a couple weeks ago. Last seen, he was in first floor handbags as I sashayed out the door

I gave him a subway map, a MetroCard, a $20 bill, and several quarters, just in case he had to make a call.

No, I did not give him a cell phone.

I trusted him to figure out that he should take the Lexington Avenue subway down, and the 34th Street crosstown bus home. If he couldn’t do that,I trusted him to ask a stranger. And then I even trusted that stranger not to think, “Gee, I was about to catch my train home, but now I think I’ll abduct this adorable child instead.”

By that age I was regularly taking self guided trips miles from home (the four miles walk to the public library was a standard).

I also rode my bike without a helmet. Sat in the car without a seatbelt. Climbed trees without wearing a parachute. And jumped off an overpass into a 15 foot wide creek that was probably only 10 feet deep. And mom left us in the car while she ran into a store for a few minutes. When I was five my dad let me "drive" around the neighborhood while sitting on his lap.

I'm not saying that all of these were good ideas and should be encouraged, but 9 doesn't strike me as too young for a certain independence of movement as described in that article. If the child has shown a sufficient level of focus and responsibility. The older of my sisters however, couldn't be trusted; she'd come home at 10 p.m. from playing at a park somewhere and say she didn't know it was dark.

It is true that were are WAY too protective over our kids now a days.

I at least let Wolfette (11) walk to a neighborhood school (about 1/2 mile away) to play handball, but I do give her a phone and a time to be back. I'm being more lenient than most, or so I've heard from other parents, but she has to learn some kind of independence even in this day and age. I don't want her living here in our home all her life!

I've got her in Private School right now, but her father and I have discussed sending her to Public School for 7th grade on, so she won't be so protected and can make some of her own decisions (and mistakes).

I applaud the Dad in this article, I don't think I would be that trusting, but I do wish I could.

Hrmm, the 2nd best dad in America seems to be a mom.

"Lenore Skenazy".

Well damn if that's not the case. I guess my prejeduces are showing. Moms are protective, dads give them space....

I was wondering why the kid was in the handbag section.

I let Boy ride his bike to a local park, by himself. I don't like it, but I can't see not letting him go. The park is right next to his school, and he walks home every day.

I started letting him taste some independance at DLR. Now he gets to ride rides by himself (the ones that hurt me or water rides). At the end of the day he gets his pass and his own money for the WoD store and goes off on his own. I used to shadow him, but he has earned his freedom. I made sure he is polite and responsible at all times. It is only with me that he turns into the kid that you all have met (ie: a monster).

The mom in question is on NPR's Talk of the Nation right now talking about this.

I don't get why this is frickin' news. I think the sad fact that this is news is more newsworthy than the original news itself.

"Person too young to drive takes public transportation"

ooooooooh.

That's kind of what she's saying:

"This was just a slow news day filler column and it says something sad that it has become this huge thing."

It NEEDS to be a MAJOR story.

F' General Patraus
F' The '08 Election
F' The Economy

This is what people NEED to hear.

A good percentage of an entire generation is being brainwashed into seeing the boogeyman behind every light-post. They are being deprived of the freedom they need to grow into prosperous adults.

Sure, my wife and I give our own kids this kind of freedom. My son has been riding public transportation on his own for years but who can go with him? Not any of his friends that's for sure. Their parents all think we're nuts. They NEED to hear this lady, they need to learn the effects their paranoia is having on their kids.