Why Children Aren't Behaving and What We Can Do About It
From the article:<p>&quot;Two or three decades ago, children were roaming neighborhoods in mixed-age groups, playing pretty unsupervised or lightly supervised. They were able to resolve disputes, which they had a strong motivation to because they wanted to keep playing. They also planned their time and managed their games. They had a lot of autonomy, which also feeds self-esteem and mental health.&quot;<p>Neighborhoods used to be packed with kids running around all the time. Now they are empty. There are quite a few kids in my neighborhood, but the only time you see them is when they get off the school bus. None of them roam the neighborhood or anywhere. There is a huge park in my neighborhood, too. It&#x27;s always empty. I never see packs of kids walking on the sidewalks going to the theater or to corner stores. School playgrounds are empty and stay empty unless school is in session.<p>When I was growing up from age 6, my mom would tell me to be home by dinner, and I&#x27;d spend all day running around with friends or adventuring by myself. This was the norm for every kid I grew up with.