“When to detach the parental leash? The trip to and from school has become emblematic of the conflict parents feel between teaching children autonomy and keeping them safe…
“In 1969, 41 percent of children either walked or biked to school; by 2001, only 13 percent still did, according to data from the National Household Travel Survey. In many low-income neighborhoods, children have no choice but to walk. During the same period, children either being driven or driving themselves to school rose to 55 percent from 20 percent. Experts say the transition has not only contributed to the rise in pollution, traffic congestion and childhood obesity, but has also hampered children?s ability to navigate the world.”
Read more at Why Can’t She Walk to School?, New York Times, September 12, 2009
What can we as a community do to create safe routes to school and help children become more independent? Let us know what you think.
Want to hear more on this topic? Lenore Skenazy, who has written a book called “Free-Range Kids; Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry”, will appear at noon on Saturday Sept. 26 at the Pennington Farmers’ Market’s Laurapalooza 2009, a celebration of all things Laura Ingalls Wilder. She let her nine-year-old ride the NYC subway on his own; some thought that made her America’s worst mom. There’s more on http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/