Quote:
Originally Posted by #-3
The world is generally a much safer place today than it was 15-20 years ago and that especially extends to Canada. I wish the statistics were out there, but I would be willing to bet it extends even more so to children.
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Here you go.
http://www.freerangekids.com/crime-statistics/
(U.S. statistics, but also links to Canadian statistics)
Quote:
Originally Posted by #-3
For better and worse, society has moved to goal posts on what an acceptable level of risk is, and what level of harm we will tolerate. Its a line every parent sees in a different place, and struggles with the idea that they might have misplaced.
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As a society, through the media and a generalized anxiety around parenting, we've vastly over-estimated the threats to children out in public. We're just not very good at assessing risk in general, and have become pathologically anxious around child-rearing.
And as I noted up-thread, we haven't factored in the risks to our children's health (physical and especially mental) of not being given freedom. The lack of exercise. The lack of opportunities for free play and developing problem-solving skills without adults around. The lack of resilience that overcoming small discomforts and problems builds in children.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
I have not lived in Calgary since 2003, but I did live in Europe for three years with my wife and kids, and have travelled to most major cities there. I honestly never worried about my kids (ages 7–13 at the time) riding buses and trains anywhere we were living or visiting while overseas—not in Oslo, Manchester, Berlin, or practically anywhere else. I find it hard to imagine that Calgary is now so very different.
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I have to agree with Corral on this one. The C-Train has changed. After 8 or 9 pm, you get some real menacing characters on the train. People I would avoid making any eye contact with. And unlike Europe, outside of commuting hours you do not get any regular citizens on the train. You get the poor - recent immigrant poor, teen poor, elderly poor. On the times I've been on the train later at night in the last few years, I've estimated that I would be the only person who would intervene in any way if something bad went down. It's the kind of vibe where you know if someone got sexually harassed or stabbed, none of the other 8 or 9 people in the car would lift a finger.