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Is 9 Too Young To Ride the NYC Subway Alone?
Posted Apr 7th 2008 11:25AM by Ada Calhoun
Filed under: Children, Controversy
A writer for the New York Sun described (in a much-fowarded editorial) letting her nine-year-old son take the subway alone, at his request. She gave him a map, $20, a Metrocard and quarters in case he had to make a call from a pay phone. He arrived home without incident, very proud of himself.
But when the story came out, whoo-ee, did she get in a lot of trouble. Crazy amounts of outcry greeted her. People said she was basically a child abuser. The Today Show (clip above) had her on for one of those "defend thyself in front of a sweater-set-clad child psychologist" interviews.
We have a special perspective on this, because we were taking public transportation alone in NYC in the '80s in first or second grade. So were all our friends.
Were all our parents negligent? Well, by today's standards, you bet. Plenty of them also smoked while they were pregnant and let us play with the mercury in broken thermometers. And maybe it warped us, but it did have its upside: we Gen Xers were about five billion times more independent than kids are today.
The castigated NY Sun writer explained her philosophy to Ann Curry like so: "Overprotectiveness is a danger in itself."
What do you think? Was she right or crazy to let her kid get home on his own?
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Mo Rocca appears on a bunch of shows, including CBS News Sunday Morning (with the indescribably wonderful Charles Osgood), The Tonight Show on NBC, and NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! He's a sometime judge on Iron Chef and was featured on Telemundo's Amore Descarado. Last year he starred on Broadway in the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His expose "All the President's Pets" was published by Crown in 2004.
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Reader Comments ( Page 3 of 3)
31. Shockingly, I actually agree with Keith J. Moron on this issue. I cannot believe it, but it's true.
The Mole at 2:26PM on Apr 8th 2008
32. You have to remember that there are a LOT more people (catholic priests, republicans, etc.) today who get off on cornholing little boys than was the case back in the 1980s.
Jeremy at 7:03PM on Apr 8th 2008
33. Wow, folks need to relax. This child and mom seemed like normal well adjusted people. I agree with rosemccabe, growing up in NYC in the 70's was a great adventure. The city was WAY more indimidating in the 80's and now it seems that it is on it's way to being the friendly city it once was. How is riding the subway from Bloomies different than walking a few blocks to the park? Is that now considered child abuse as well?
Annie LeRoy at 4:03PM on Apr 9th 2008
34. WOW - Ada has gotten 3 pages, that should make the national news.
But on the story - Some children can handle things at earlier ages. Overall I feel that we over protect our children, but then again with all the sicko predators out there what is over protection?
Man_in_Wilderness at 8:42PM on May 1st 2008
35. I totally think Lenore is right - overprotectiveness is a danger in and of itself. I'm appalled at the overprotectiveness I see here in the USA.
My boys grew up overseas where independence was encouraged and supported. Now that they are ten, they are totally capable of doing things most American ten-year-olds would never even consider. In fact - they are about to take off to ride their bikes from Alaska to Argentina (with my husband and I, of course). There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that they can do it.
You can read about our journey at http://www.familyonbikes.org
familyonbikes at 10:23PM on May 19th 2008