Sitting around the studio recently, we recalled how much more freedom we had than today's children do. In fact, Chris Prosperi, Alex Province, and I realized our parents might have been arrested if today's standards were in effect back then. What has changed?
Listen this hour as we discuss:
- What we did as kids with our parents' permission
- Is life now far more dangerous than it was in decades past, or have our standards simply changed?
- What are the actual statistics surrounding child kidnapping compared to decades past?
- What role do media and Internet stories play in creating a "culture of fear?"
- Should so-called "free-range" parents be arrested for allowing their kids to roam freely, unsupervised?
- How much freedom is necessary to foster independence in children?
- When does concern for a child's safety turn into unjustified paranoia?
- Has society's parent-blaming culture in the past decade helped create obsessive "helicopter parenting?"
- Are parents today smarter than parents were long ago, and will it result in children who feel safe, protected, and appropriately wary of strangers?
- Is there a difference in attitude about the safety of children depending on how much money you have?
Join the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.
GUESTS:
- Paula Fass – editor, The Ruttledge History of Childhood in the Western World
- Chris Prosperi – chef/owner, Metro Bis restaurant
- Alex Province – wine enthusiast
MUSIC:
- “Gne Gne,” Montefiori Cocktail
- “Modul 8_9 Iii,” Nik Bärtsch’s Ronin
Lori Mack, Jonathan McNicol, and Marian Roy contributed to this show.
