thoughtful risks to teach children important lessons. Years ago, children
were generally well mannered when going out to eat, as almost all
children expected to wait out the meal sitting in the family car if their
behavior was such that they were bothering others around them. Now few
American parents would ever risk allowing their children to sit in a car in
a well-lit parking lot, in front of the restaurant, within direct eyesight of
the parents. Times have changed!
With this Pearl, we are not encouraging parents to put their children in
dangerous situations. In the examples given, precautions that ensure the
children’s safety are noted. And when putting a child out of the car to
walk home, naturally, the length of the walk is based upon the age of the
child, the traffic in the area, the dangerousness of the neighborhood, and
so on. When a parent is concerned about allowing a very young or
impulsive child to walk a few blocks home, that’s correct and
understandable. But it is just plain sad when a parent is too fearful to
allow his or her child the opportunity of the learning experience of
walking a few blocks home when the family lives in a quiet neighborhood
in a state of ten million in which one kidnapping a decade occurs.
lu
(lu)
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