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Re: Where I grew up in NJ Posted by IrieTom [Email] (#1032) [Profile/Gallery] (more from IrieTom) on Thu, 6 Sep 2001 11:21:06 In Reply to: Where I grew up in NJ, Dave Westlake, Thu, 6 Sep 2001 09:22:58 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
In Albany, NY during the '80s, there was no such thing as a "school bus"- anyone who lived more than 1 mile from their school was given a bus pass for the city bus system. I was (un)lucky enough to live something like 0.9 miles away, because I wasn't elegible for a pass but a friend who lived around the block got one. Our back yards nearly touched. My trip to school involved walking, riding a bike, paying for the bus, or occasionally catching a ride with a friend or in the event of some wierd celestial alignment, a parent.
There were sidewalks the whole way, and sometimes a crossing guard at major intersections. I don't think my parents obsessed about my safety the way these "soccer moms" do. I remember my mom walking me to school on the first day of kindergarten in the mid-70's in western NY. I was soon walking alone (maybe a half-mile) once I demonstrated that I could get there without getting lost.
Let's hope that all those sheltered/overprotected kids eventually find a way to develop self-sufficiency and independent thought. It seems that the brightest people I know came from families that didn't particularly "coddle" their children, while still providing plenty of love and support.
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