Not All Adults at the Park Are Predators
The "Why should I have to watch your kid at the park?" question comes up when I talk about how good it would be for kids to get more exercise and independence by doing that thing we used to call "going outside to play."
It's not that someone else HAS to watch any kid at the park on their own. It's that usually humans DO watch out for each other. It's not unpaid labor. It's being a human.
Most kids making their way to school or frolicking outside are not going to need major assistance from anyone, adult or otherwise. But if they do, I'd like to think most of us would give it ungrudgingly. Their parents have not foisted a huge burden on society by letting their kids be part of it.
Old and young have always interacted. Adults who enjoy being around kids are, for the most part, just adults who enjoy being around kids. Not predators.
And kids who are out and about in the world are just that: kids out and about. Not a big, unpaid obligation for the rest of us.
I'm not sure about the yellow hats, but Japan has the right idea. Looking out for everyone beats trusting no one.
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Lenore Skenazy is president of Let Grow, a contributing writer at Reason.com, and author of "Has the World Gone Skenazy?" To learn more about Lenore Skenazy (Lskenazy@yahoo.com) and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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