Comments on: Are family stickers on cars dangerous?

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:15:36 +0000

I’m not a mom, but have two nieces and have thought about this trend toward protectiveness a lot.

People tell me that the world has gotten more dangerous. I seriously suspect that the world is the same as it ever was, we’re just more aware (because media is so effective at keeping its job) of what the dangers are.

I couldn’t agree more with your point that life is for living. Of course we don’t want to see children hurt, but what does it help them if we don’t teach them to stretch and to take calculated risks? I suspect that causes more harm in the end when they try to live a safe adulthood.

I’m glad that my mom kicked us out of the house and we had to come home from playing for supper. I think my generation (X) is the last to have experienced this.

Thanks for the call to arms.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:46:39 +0000

well done mate – lets keep doing our part to make the internet safe for our kids by leading the way digitally – and our neighbourhoods safe by allowing our kids to roam free – i like what you wrote

cheers

By: Doug McCaughan

Doug McCaughan — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:36:54 +0000

I’ll have to check the maps, but I think that distance was about 2 miles one way. I was 6 going on 7, 8 and 9 going on 10 when we were in Cary. We were also allowed to come home to an empty house, find the hidden key, let ourselves in, fix snacks, leave a note, and head off to fight dragons in the woods without supervision. I guess that might be called “latchkey” or you could call it “trust” but I’m not sure that I would be comfortable leaving a single digit to their accord while I was out.

By: Dean

Dean — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:07:13 +0000

Oh, also, maybe if they made a vicious dog sticker instead of the cute one that may protect the sticker children from the bad people.

By: Dean

Dean — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:06:09 +0000

I remember riding our bikes, just the two of us, to Ashworth’s soda fountain when we lived in Cary. I turned seven after moving from Cary, so at the oldest I was six, riding with my nine-year-old brother. Admittedly we don’t know our neighbors like we used to, and society has changed, but it is amazing to think how much freedom to roam we truly had.

By: Doug McCaughan

Doug McCaughan — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:07:33 +0000

WillFull, well said! As I observe helicopter parents and children on short leashes growing up in fear, I often wonder what they will be like as adults. How their curiosities are being smashed to the cry of “don’t do that! You might get hurt.” and how that will impact our scientific and technological advancements in the future. What kind of laws will these children pass in the name of “safety” and what freedoms will they give up without a single thought?

Meredith and Cathy, originally we thought the bus should be painted in flowers but yesterday Cathy brilliantly deduced it should be tye dyed! Now we just need the bus..and it should be electric…with solar panels on the roof…and a windmill for the hood ornament. Sure GM wants to sponsor us! We can do reality tv as well as the quintuplets!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:13:07 +0000

That’s why we need a bus.

By: Meredith

Meredith — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:17:19 +0000

Yours would have to be a big-ass sticker, especially if you put the animals on there too!

By: WillFull

WillFull — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:07:49 +0000

Just wanted to comment and say that this is an *excellent* post. Thanks for taking your time and putting this one to words, Doug. I do not have any kids, so I can’t claim any experience as a father of children, but I am keen on issues regarding child abduction and safety, following news and blogs related to the topic. As a child growing up in a rural area (which I feel is just as dangerous as any suburb or city street corner), the occasions in my life where I was free to explore unencumbered by any adult were common. I think that being on my own allowed to build those skills important to assessing and handling with situations. Granted, I’ve had some close calls (usually due to my own stupidity, nothing to blame my parents for), but luckily I was a tough kid and was able to work my way through it. Not being smothered by my parents’ “protection” showed me how to take care of myself, not running back to mama crying. And while people like Evie seem to harbor on the negative based on her experiences, I like to dwell on the positive about my rearing and think instead of all the square mileage of exploration around my home that I accomplished, the people I met, the things I saw. Getting ‘out there’ definitely made me a better person. Gawd knows what I would be like if my mom tried to enshroud me in ‘safety’ by buffering my every move and action.