Giving kids no autonomy at all has become a parenting norm
I think a major change over time has been about vehicles, and there are no relevant mentions of &quot;car&quot; or similar in the article. They&#x27;re larger, often faster, there are more of them and sightlines are poorer. Drivers potentially on their phones too. As a parent of a 10yo, vehicles are my major concern with out-of-home autonomy.<p>Growing up in the 80s, we kicked a football on the street and towed each other on skateboards with bikes. I barely remember a car being parked out there; they were all in driveways. That same cul-de-sac now is choked with parked cars that are each household&#x27;s second or third vehicle and left on the street because it&#x27;s easier than shuffling cars in a narrow driveway. Now, you couldn&#x27;t kick a ball without hitting someone&#x27;s car. A car driving down that street will have terrible sightlines with seeing a kid chasing a ball out onto the street or even seeing someone short trying to cross the road from behind an SUV or 4x4.<p>Out camping in the bush, I&#x27;m comfortable letting my kids roam (as long as they watch out for snakes). Lots of other ways for them to get injured, but no cars. There&#x27;s a difference between a &quot;learning injury&quot; and the bonnet of a 4x4 hitting their head&#x2F;neck.