Ugh, those conservative guidelines are so much more restrictive than what I experienced as a kid. I’m hopeful that by the time I’m a parent of 7-12 year old children who are ready for walk-to-park levels of independence that there will be some kind of satisfying technological solution. Seems like requiring the kid to wear a robust remote monitoring device while out alone would be a reasonable compromise. Such a device could have GPS tracking and video/audio sensors, and an AI system onboard to detect dangerous circumstances to alert your phone. A sufficiently capable device should be able to issue contextual reminders to the child about, for instance, crossing at crosswalks instead of jaywalking.
We already have a pretty great tool for extending the potential independence of teenagers I think: electric bicycles. Having an electric bicycle (instead of just a normal bicycle) would have made me feel very satisfied in that age range. I did ride my bicycle ~4-5 miles to and from middle school & early high school, but it involved substantial hills and was too lengthy and exhausting a process to do in inclement weather or to be able to hang out at a friend’s house after school and then get home in a timely manner for supper. And the hills made friends unwilling to visit me via bicycle. Giving us all electric bicycles would have solved the issue handily.
Ugh, those conservative guidelines are so much more restrictive than what I experienced as a kid. I’m hopeful that by the time I’m a parent of 7-12 year old children who are ready for walk-to-park levels of independence that there will be some kind of satisfying technological solution. Seems like requiring the kid to wear a robust remote monitoring device while out alone would be a reasonable compromise. Such a device could have GPS tracking and video/audio sensors, and an AI system onboard to detect dangerous circumstances to alert your phone. A sufficiently capable device should be able to issue contextual reminders to the child about, for instance, crossing at crosswalks instead of jaywalking.
We already have a pretty great tool for extending the potential independence of teenagers I think: electric bicycles. Having an electric bicycle (instead of just a normal bicycle) would have made me feel very satisfied in that age range. I did ride my bicycle ~4-5 miles to and from middle school & early high school, but it involved substantial hills and was too lengthy and exhausting a process to do in inclement weather or to be able to hang out at a friend’s house after school and then get home in a timely manner for supper. And the hills made friends unwilling to visit me via bicycle. Giving us all electric bicycles would have solved the issue handily.