Independence For Kids

One of the things that I love most about Spain is it's public transportation system. Right now at our church there is a young girl that is here as an international student. She lives on the outskirts of the city and it is very time consuming and inefficient to be able to get her from one place to another. In Spain, we rarely had that problem. If the subway doesn't get there, the bus does. And if the bus doesn't get there, the train might. There is always a way of getting from Point A to Point B.

As a kid, I would often travel on the public transportation system on my own. I spent many, many hours on the Metro, the bus and train. That was how I got to and from school. My parents would go with me the first couple of days to show me the route and then I was on my own. We didn't have cell phones (although I did use the pay phone a few times). The public system was perfectly safe as there were all types of people on the subway (mostly normal people, not the freaky kind!) All in all, I felt safe and I know my parents did also.

I saw this article today and it made me chuckle. I find it funny how this lady is being considered a "bad mom" because she lets her kid ride the subway alone in...gasp...New York! Apparently, though, New York is the safest its ever been in years. I applaud people like her! Where do we draw the line between being overprotective and letting our kids experience a little independence?

I know my prior experience plays into my opinion. What do you think?

Sixth grade - on my way to school on the train