General Discussion

haele

(12,751 posts)

29. Two things - traffic and the parents' routine.

Fri May 5, 2023, 09:55 AM

May 2023

Last edited Fri May 5, 2023, 09:09 PM - Edit history (1)

More families have two cats, so it's easier for them to set up a routine where one takes the kids to school and one picks them up.
And traffic, even on residential streets, is utterly congested and increasingly dangerous for kids to walk, even if their school is at a walkable (under 2 miles) distance.

On edit, it's cars, not cats. Though the cats do make sure everyone gets up on time to feed them...

Haele

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Why did Kids Stop Walking to School? [View all] OnlinePoker May 2023 OP

Fear of stranger abduction. There are programs in some school districts to assign an adult hlthe2b May 2023 #1

How many "stranger abduction" cases of kids walking to school? former9thward May 2023 #63

I grew up 10 miles from my school Shermann May 2023 #2

Same. Lived in a pretty rural area MissB May 2023 #24

I lived less than 10 blocks from school. The only time my brother and I didn't walk slightlv May 2023 #3

9 Blocks For Me ProfessorGAC May 2023 #4

Gotcha both beat. Grew up across from the athletic field. On one side was the elementary school unblock May 2023 #5

At Our Grade School... ProfessorGAC May 2023 #19

That was either total convenience or total torture! (LOL) slightlv May 2023 #40

My family lived only five blocks from the elementary school csziggy May 2023 #39

I have seen a big cultural change with parents since I was a child MichMan May 2023 #6

"Our parents' lives did not revolve around what the kids wanted to do." Diamond_Dog May 2023 #11

It was so much that way when I grew up, slightlv May 2023 #41

Yes, there certainly has been a big change! csziggy May 2023 #42

Because kids live farther from school and have to cross busy roads? greatauntoftriplets May 2023 #7

They still do in my town JustAnotherGen May 2023 #8

Mine as well Retrograde May 2023 #13

Walked in kindergarden zipplewrath May 2023 #9

I live next to a large subdivision with lots of kids of all ages. llmart May 2023 #10

To be fair Beatlelvr May 2023 #12

But there aren't that many predators. Silent3 May 2023 #18

Are you aware this is America? maxsolomon May 2023 #44

Yep. Better arm all the teachers in case a wacko decides today is the day. OnlinePoker May 2023 #48

It's only 100% that such things will happen somewhere, sometime. Silent3 May 2023 #57

Almost 25 miles for me UpInArms May 2023 #14

I walked just over 1.7 miles to high school. Sometimes biked. LiberalFighter May 2023 #15

Oh dear, I was a walker, brown bag, 1 m off to school every day, rain or shine , in boots Shanti Shanti Shanti May 2023 #16

Probably pedophile hysteria Oneironaut May 2023 #17

Oh hell... they don't even walk to the bus stop any more MissMillie May 2023 #20

I See That Here ProfessorGAC May 2023 #22

Another factor could be the amount of stuff kids have to carry these days. meadowlander May 2023 #21

That Could Be Part Of It ProfessorGAC May 2023 #23

Some kids get backpacks with food and snacks on Fridays Ilsa May 2023 #28

I Sub At A School Like That ProfessorGAC May 2023 #43

That's great! I hate when food is wasted. nt Ilsa May 2023 #45

Me, Too ProfessorGAC May 2023 #52

Some parents do it to have a little time with their kids Cairycat May 2023 #25

I miss the 30 min drive to school with my kid SYFROYH May 2023 #60

City planning Act_of_Reparation May 2023 #26

Some places don't have sidewalks all the way from homes to school. Ilsa May 2023 #27

Two things - traffic and the parents' routine. haele May 2023 #29

fun typo treestar May 2023 #32

Hmm, how do the cats help? MineralMan May 2023 #50

I walked to school in Maywood Illinois when I was 7 and my sister was 5...but we Demsrule86 May 2023 #30

Kids in my neighborhood walk. BlackSkimmer May 2023 #31

I walked, it got further each time treestar May 2023 #33

Kids have to carry books and body armor to school, its not the 80s any longer thx to GQP and uponit7771 May 2023 #34

I'm always envious of the cars the high schoolers drive to school by us now days. a kennedy May 2023 #35

They do walk if they live close to the school JI7 May 2023 #36

I still see them doing it every day to the local junior high. maxsolomon May 2023 #37

Kids walk in my town to 4 of the elementary schools that are close to their homes, but some live Raftergirl May 2023 #38

wow, yay! The Wandering Harper May 2023 #58

When the family got a second car Conjuay May 2023 #46

Uphill, both ways, for me Kennah May 2023 #47

I walked about a mile to and from school every day. MineralMan May 2023 #49

Are you kidding? These days people call CPS if kids aren't directly under a parent's eye. Jedi Guy May 2023 #51

Very true. meadowlander May 2023 #53

Sounds like we had much the same experience, but I was an only, so no sibling to look after. Jedi Guy May 2023 #59

For most, it's because both parents work now. So either a parent drops them off on the way to work, pnwmom May 2023 #54

I never walked to school. Happy Hoosier May 2023 #55

We live in the country, 6 miles from the elelmentary and jr. high schools, Pathwalker May 2023 #56

I walked my first four years of primary ExWhoDoesntCare May 2023 #61

Sometimes my mother or father drove me to school in the 1970s, DemocraticPatriot May 2023 #62

The truth is kids have gotten fat and lazy. former9thward May 2023 #64