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That's not entirely true. Curfew and driving age laws are examples of cases where it doesn't matter what the parents think, the law says there are things your kids can't do and it's the parents' responsibility to ensure they don't.
Driving laws aren't about telling people how to raise their kids, they're about public safety. Curfews? Where do these exist on a regular basis?
When I was an elementary school kid, we walked to school without adults, in the summer we walked up to the park without adults during summer afternoons.
Mothers would send kids to the store for a carton of milk or a loaf of bread or a pack of cigarettes (with a note from the mother indicating they were for her).
I guess it depends on how far the store is and the park are, and all of that, and it might not be considered "free range" parenting, but it wasn't a bad thing to give the kids more responsibility and range gradually as they get older.
Location: Subconscious Syncope, USA (Northeastern US)
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We had law-enforced curfews when I was a kid, but they werent perpetual. If there was a temporary safety issue in the community then anyone under 18 had to be at home by 11PM.
In Japan many elementary school kids travel to and from their school every day, by themselves, on public buses and trains. I never wanted my children to do this, but I didn't worry about them roaming around the neighborhood on bicycles or going to the park to play. Childrens' schedules are highly structured here, but the 21st century America level of parental paranoia is pretty much nonexistant.
About half way down there is a list of cities which have curfews. This list isn't complete, as my small hometown in Virginia is not listed which also has a curfew.
About half way down there is a list of cities which have curfews. This list isn't complete, as my small hometown in Virginia is not listed which also has a curfew.
I wonder if there is anything more convincing than a twenty year old, low penetration, highly subjective "survey" of select areas. I also am a firm believer that any curfew interferes with a parent's rights to control their children as they see fit (while understanding that the lack of such parenting is at the root of these tactics.)
[SIZE=4]Youth curfews popular with American cities
but effectiveness and legality are questioned[/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=-2]By Tony Favro, USA Editor[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]21 July 2009: At least 500 US cities have curfews on teenage youth, including 78 of the 92 cities with a population greater than 180,000. In most of these cities, curfews prohibit children under 18 from being on the streets after 11:00 pm during the week and after midnight on weekends. About 100 cities also have daytime curfews to keep children off the streets during school hours. The curfews are designed to prevent crime, increase parental responsibility for their children, and give police greater ability to stop people involved in suspicious activity.[/SIZE]
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