General Discussion

Divernan

(15,480 posts)

47. Walking to the high school for Friday night football games every fall.

Sat Jan 17, 2015, 02:48 AM

Jan 2015

1959 - Small town America/county seat of a farming community - back when families were one car and parents were not chauffeurs to teenage kids. So my friends and I - walking 2 miles on crisp fall evenings, with the smell of burning leaves in the air - to see Friday night games. Saturday nights, weather permitting, we'd walk about the same distance back and forth to the local CYO to dance to the juke box. And we didn't lock our doors back then either. Very, very good times. Now? That farming community became a distant suburb to Chicago - crime rates are up, and the local cops dress and arm themselves like they're in Kandahar Province. Nobody walks anywhere at night.

Lost in the Fifties Tonight
RONNIE MILSAP
"Lost In The Fifties Tonight"

Close your eyes, baby
Follow my heart
Call on the memories
Here in the dark
We'll let the magic
Take us away
Back to the feelings
We shared when they played

In the still of the night
Hold me darlin', hold me tight
So real, so right
Lost in the fifties tonight

These precious hours
We know can't survive
But loves all that matters
While the past is alive
Now and for always
Till time disappears
We'll hold each other
Whenever we hear

In the still of the night
Hold me darlin', hold me tight
So real, so right
Lost in the fifties tonight

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Highlight:

Police Investigate Family for Letting Their Kids Walk Home Alone. Parents, We All Need to Fight Back [View all] Luminous Animal Jan 2015 OP

The real problem is that CPS is so inconsistent: they ignore some violence and brutality to the Wella Jan 2015 #1

You beat me to it. nt kelliekat44 Jan 2015 #60

Unmentioned in most of these reports is the irony that in Silver Springs, pnwmom Jan 2015 #2

Interesting! Thanks for your post. Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #3

The Montgomery County school district is one of the best in the country. elleng Jan 2015 #9

Did you even read their post? joeglow3 Jan 2015 #14

'Someone should be investigating the Montgomery County School district.' elleng Jan 2015 #20

This is not the precise location, as you know. The description of the path as being pnwmom Jan 2015 #39

Yup. And one of the best districts in the country thinks its A-OK pnwmom Jan 2015 #44

I have to disagree with Danielle Meitiv. blue neen Jan 2015 #4

Thanks. elleng Jan 2015 #6

Yes. Absolutely is not. HERVEPA Jan 2015 #10

Why do you believe that? jberryhill Jan 2015 #13

In reference to this story in particular, blue neen Jan 2015 #16

More people carry guns there? jberryhill Jan 2015 #18

I'm making a general guesstimate. blue neen Jan 2015 #21

What percentage increase in number of people carrying guns has there been? jberryhill Jan 2015 #23

I told you that I made a general guesstimate. blue neen Jan 2015 #24

Whether "more people carry guns" is not s matter of opinion jberryhill Jan 2015 #26

Have a nice evening. blue neen Jan 2015 #29

Thank you ! lunasun Jan 2015 #115

your guesstimate is wrong. ND-Dem Jan 2015 #42

Um, your chart only goes to 2008, so it's not really relevant. blue neen Jan 2015 #83

Check again. It goes to 2012. The space between lines represents 4 years and the chart, and line, ND-Dem Jan 2015 #100

Our representative pulled a gun on an unarmed man in a road rage incident. It's not the number jtuck004 Jan 2015 #27

Violent crimes are far below what they used to be. jberryhill Jan 2015 #31

You should have been there to tell that guy with the gun shoved in his nose. jtuck004 Jan 2015 #32

That is a completely irrational response jberryhill Jan 2015 #34

I didn't disagree that the stats are reporting crime is down, and it's disingenuous of you to say so jtuck004 Jan 2015 #36

...and therefore, streets are not safer than they used to be. jberryhill Jan 2015 #37

Children are more likely to be injured or killed driving in a car pnwmom Jan 2015 #40

I believe she is speaking specifically to the stranger danger threat to lives of children living in the U.S. Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #15

It was an interesting article. blue neen Jan 2015 #17

Violent crime is down. It just doesn't appear that way because of media coverage today. n/t pnwmom Jan 2015 #68

Thanks for the many responses. blue neen Jan 2015 #85

Thanks for your many posts. n/t pnwmom Jan 2015 #86

You are entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. nt NutmegYankee Jan 2015 #87

You're quite welcome, even though I didn't post, or pretend to post, any facts. blue neen Jan 2015 #95

You rejected an obvious and true fact as opinion. NutmegYankee Jan 2015 #96

What is highly disturbing is that you are trying to insinuate that I agree with people on the right. blue neen Jan 2015 #97

Why do you dismiss facts as opinions? NutmegYankee Jan 2015 #103

This is the intersection near where, elleng Jan 2015 #5

Mrs. Meitiv says this: blue neen Jan 2015 #8

Exactly my point, blue neen. elleng Jan 2015 #11

. blue neen Jan 2015 #12

when I was a young lad hfojvt Jan 2015 #25

Sounds like you had a great childhood. blue neen Jan 2015 #28

Walking to the high school for Friday night football games every fall. Divernan Jan 2015 #47

Looking at a scene and imagining all the possibilities for accidents... Silent3 Jan 2015 #57

I gave my opinion. blue neen Jan 2015 #84

I agree with you 100%. elleng Jan 2015 #89

I said what I said precisely because "I gave my opinion"... Silent3 Jan 2015 #92

Oh, the irony: blue neen Jan 2015 #94

What, it's "ironic" because that's my opinion about an opinion? Silent3 Jan 2015 #99

We don't know that the kids had to walk through that intersection. pnwmom Jan 2015 #67

We don't know the route the children took. Discovery Place can be approached pnwmom Jan 2015 #74

The children were driving a car? n/t kcr Jan 2015 #98

Looks like several areas in downtown Gwangju (South Korea) rpannier Jan 2015 #33

It looks like mostly a parking lot from that angle. pnwmom Jan 2015 #72

"Near" means nothing much -- assuming a parking lot is so scary. pnwmom Jan 2015 #41

So sad. My daughter knew at the age of two to stop until the walk signal came on and Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #46

Wow...not a quaint family neighborhood, Ilsa Jan 2015 #55

We don't know where the kids were walking except if was "near" Discovery Place. pnwmom Jan 2015 #70

The older kid was 10, so not a young child gollygee Jan 2015 #78

Every time one of these stories comes out (and there are so many of them now)... unrepentant progress Jan 2015 #7

My daughter actually had an argument with Chabon with his "country" vs "city" freedom Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #22

Then she and you were both misunderstanding Chabon unrepentant progress Jan 2015 #30

Actually this was several years prior to his essay and in person and he was pretty belligerent. Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #38

Ah, well that's certainly possible. unrepentant progress Jan 2015 #54

I was a free-range kid, and a latch-key kid, LWolf Jan 2015 #106

i was raised w benign neglect. i wouldnt trade it. mopinko Jan 2015 #19

I saw the effects of helicopter parenting on students when I taught BrotherIvan Jan 2015 #35

Remember the talk from the media of "latchkey kids" in the 90s? Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #43

Indeed. I was one of those so called latchkey kids in the late 60s and 70s. My dad worked all day Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #45

That was considered the norm even into the 80s.... Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #61

My daughter was latchkey from about the time she was eight. Blue_In_AK Jan 2015 #66

Was that back before everyone had cell phones? Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #73

It would have been in the mid-90s. Blue_In_AK Jan 2015 #80

You can see how things are even safer now.... Spitfire of ATJ Jan 2015 #91

Like you, I have a few problems with the article. BlueMTexpat Jan 2015 #48

I agree with you. From what I saw on MSNBC last night, we're talking a cult, here. Paladin Jan 2015 #51

Even from just reading this story, I got the idea that BlueMTexpat Jan 2015 #53

Very well stated. Thank you. (nt) Paladin Jan 2015 #58

The kids were walking on a sidewalk, not on a road. And there were stoplights pnwmom Jan 2015 #75

I'm not going to argue the point with you. (nt) Paladin Jan 2015 #88

OMG! It is a support network to help with parenting skills and provides Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #109

The older kid was 10, and they were on a sidewalk, not in the street gollygee Jan 2015 #114

NYC kid here HockeyMom Jan 2015 #49

Idk, I would err on the side of safety. Vattel Jan 2015 #50

I'd advise that you teach her not to trust the "walking man" and to look both ways regardless Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #62

Good advice! Vattel Jan 2015 #69

I fully support the cops checking in with the kids on the street to make sure they're OK. Brickbat Jan 2015 #52

A mile would have been way too far for me to allow my kids to walk. MoonRiver Jan 2015 #56

The school district there expects 5 and 6 year olds to walk unless they live pnwmom Jan 2015 #71

I understand what you're saying, but I, personally, couldn't have done it. MoonRiver Jan 2015 #76

Both the parents are scientists and analyzed the benefit/risk calculation pnwmom Jan 2015 #82

I'm not judging them! MoonRiver Jan 2015 #90

I know you're not, MoonRiver! pnwmom Jan 2015 #93

Yes they do pnwmom! MoonRiver Jan 2015 #102

Welcome to the not so good "we know best" nanny state. ileus Jan 2015 #59

Most of the kids walked home from school when I went in the 60s. Trillo Jan 2015 #63

The boy was 10 YEARS OLD, for heaven's sake! Blue_In_AK Jan 2015 #64

At ten, I did far lengthier and complex jaunts alone or with other kids. Gormy Cuss Jan 2015 #112

"Investigate"? They threatened to murder them and kidnap their children Taitertots Jan 2015 #65

I took the city bus to a downtown school and we had a permanent walking field trip permission form TheKentuckian Jan 2015 #77

This was my playground as a child of 7 Politicalboi Jan 2015 #79

That's similar to where I lived when I was around 10 Blue_In_AK Jan 2015 #81

This was mine from the same age. Avalux Jan 2015 #101

I lived in the country, on a dirt road Chemisse Jan 2015 #104

Holy crap. cwydro Jan 2015 #105

Our society is saturated with fear. So much so, that 2 children walking down the Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #107

Very glad cwydro Jan 2015 #108

I'd love hear her reaction! It's a whole new alien world for many folks. Luminous Animal Jan 2015 #110

I already know that cwydro Jan 2015 #111

I find it interesting that all the replies so far in this thread, except one, seem to address only DebJ Jan 2015 #113

And people wonder why OrwellwasRight Jan 2015 #116

I started riding the subway alone - citywide - when I was 8. brooklynite Jan 2015 #117

I don't understand people. OrwellwasRight Jan 2015 #118

A few years ago I was watching a WWII era movie, kiva Jan 2015 #119

you can even see the change in the geography of the suburbs: MisterP Jan 2015 #120