Wednesday, June 16, 2021
Persuasion gets it again
Persuasion hits another homer.
Constant supervision wasn’t always an American credo: Today’s parents had plenty of time to play and roam on their own when they were kids. But children’s safety has turned from a concern into an obsession within a generation. The abductions of Etan Patz in 1979 and Adam Walsh in 1981 became huge news stories and led to missing kids’ pictures on milk cartons. (The vast majority of the kids were runaways or taken in custodial disputes, a fact never made clear to the public.)The fact isn't stated explicitly, but it has always been clear if you're paying attention. 99% of Amber Alerts are custody disputes. The other 1% are runaways. The "suspect" is described anonymously like a stranger. (More relabeling.) When we learn more details, the "suspect" always turns out to be the biological mother or father. Sometimes both parents are together, "kidnapping" the child from an official foster.
The problem with a society devoted to zero risk is that kids grow up overprotected and under-socialized. They miss out on the thrilling experience of fending for themselves, crucial in forging confidence. They miss out on learning to assess risk and dealing with minimal danger without constantly deferring to an authority. A dynamic society requires citizens who appreciate that difficulties and failures are a part of life and that’s OK. Just as kids recover from a bike crash or playground fight, they can bounce back from failure and frustration in their adult lives, too. This is possible only if children grow up with some independence so that they arrive at adulthood with the resilience to handle life on their own.Amen. No quibbles or additions. Just Amen and Bravo. = = = = = Bike crash reminded me of something I hadn't remembered in a while. When I was 11, I had a useless little bicycle, basically a toy without brakes or coaster. I decided to ride down a steep hill on a rutted road behind our house, and ran into the end of a rut. My face went into the gravel and some sharp rocks. I walked back up to the house, covered in blood. Even though I was probably in shock, I knew that I shouldn't walk into the house, so caught my mother's attention through the screen door. She told me to turn on the hose and wash off first. So I did. She then put iodine on the cuts, and that was it. 60 years later, I still have the little scars above and below the right eye. Near miss, but no big deal. = = = = = A picture is worth 1000 words! Via GoogleMaps, here's the entrance to the road now.
Labels: Alternate universe, TMI
¶ 6:32 AM
