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by baxtr 23 days ago
We had some friends over last form the US. One 11 yr kid in the group was bored and said: ok I’m gonna go home now, I need the keys please.

He walked home by himself - maybe 500 meters… For us Europeans it was nothing to notice really, but the Americans were absolutely shocked.
4 comments
bombcar 23 days ago
And I've been where the Americans had some friends over from the US, and the 11/12 year olds grabbed some rifles and said they'd be back tomorrow. The Americans barely noticed, the Europeans flipped.

America is big, and parts of it can be very different.

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eigencoder 22 days ago
One 11 year old with a rifle is probably fine, but two with rifles is just asking for trouble haha
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bombcar 22 days ago
Looking back at my scout camps, it's amazing that a group of 10-50 or so armed 12 year olds were able to be managed by one (presumably) responsible adult.
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jkestner 23 days ago
I don’t think you can profile this as American. Are they conservative suburbanites? My kid walks to/from school longer than that. Many kids take public transit in big cities. Rural kids may ride a motorbike much further.
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odo1242 23 days ago
Well, it is a pretty American thing for this to be the case. Americans have been arrested for letting kids walk 500 meters on their own before (in certain neighborhoods)
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jkestner 23 days ago
Like Europe, the US has a pastiche of laws across states and municipalities, and varying levels of enforcement. My state has laws protecting free-range children.

You’re probably right that only in the US do people freak out over unaccompanied kids, but I wouldn’t say that’s true of most of the country.

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conductr 23 days ago
As an American reading your comment, it’s because we drive everywhere and my initial thought is he’s asking for the car keys

That distance for a walk should be seen as fine by most Americans at that age. Although, I find it’s rare that we socialize much with people that close. Those would be neighbors and neighbors aren’t frequently socializing to this degree.

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refurb 23 days ago
That says more about the people you were with than America.

I see plenty of 11 year olds in the US without any parental supervision while in public.

I mean kids get jobs at 12?

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