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Where do the children play?

(unpublishablepapers.substack.com)
409 points casca | 2 comments | 16 Nov 25 13:45 UTC | HN request time: 0.451s | source
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retube ◴[17 Nov 25 08:49 UTC] No.45951914[source]▶
As a parent, I relate to all this. Great piece.

When the kids were babies we had the standard debate of move to the countryside for fresh air and gambolling in the fields etc. But so glad we stayed in London, the kids have so much freedom with public transport they can organise their own meet ups and activities and go running around all over town without any parental assistance or intervention at all. Whereas elsewhere we'd need to drive them everywhere, they'd be stuck at home way more, they'd have no real agency in their lives - I grew up like that and hated it.

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1. abbadadda ◴[17 Nov 25 21:36 UTC] No.45958613[source]▶
Curious what age you started letting them ride the tube on their own? I’m in London as well and we’re starting to have the “walk to school” conversation but it is still early days and a 15 minute jaunt so not nothing.
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2. retube ◴[18 Nov 25 13:56 UTC] No.45966025[source]▶
for travel to school was 10, but was direct no changes and only a short walk the other end. then for social etc from around 12, by 13 travelling all over london on trains, buses, tubes, albeit always with friends, then alone probably 14