Weren’t those words enough to make you switch off completely when you were a kid? A lecture always seemed to follow. I don’t say them to my grandkids but I certainly think them!
We are very lucky to live in a suburb just 20 mins by train from the centre of Adelaide, capital of South Australia but if you looked out our front windows you could think you were living in bush. The area is hilly with gullies separating the winding roads. My children walked probably about 500 metres to the little local school of about 120 children. They walked less than 100 metres up our road which is very narrow with no footpaths to the fenced off path beside the railway line where they’d meet up with friends coming from other directions.
Times have changed. Now, each morning, “The mummy run” begins. Not “Yummy Mummies” running along the railway path with little children in Jogging Strollers but a steady stream of cars heading to the school. Council have had to ban parking on one side of the road because there was no way any emergency vehicles could have made it through but even so it’s a place to avoid for at least an hour morning and afternoon.
Why is it necessary for parents to drive their children to school? This is not a crime ridden area. I know some people believe there are now paedophiles waiting to pounce on any unaccompanied children but I think there have always been unpleasant people around. Children need to learn how to deal with unexpected situations to keep themselves safe whether it’s on the road or interacting with people and they can’t learn to do that if they are always closeted in a car with an adult taking all responsibility.
I guess it’s indisputable, I’m now a boring old fart who says, “In my day ……..”
Musings of a Retiring Person 