• more about #lenoreskenazy more comments →
    IceCreamIsAwesome: Is this really about the kids, b/c my concern is all the child molesters who literally hunt for kids that are by themselves. If it was a group of kids... more »
    Her Grace: SNOWED IN: My mom freaked out when she saw where I regularly went alone in Melbourne. I was 22. I'm comfortable in big cities and on public transport--I find d... more »
    NewsBunny: I was chained to my bed until I went to college. And then, of course, I WENT FUCKING POSTAL. I regret it to this day, which is ridiculous. This is ... more »
    LadySoprano is a Fat-Fighting Superwoman: I'll never forget being 20 and guiding my parents through London and the Tube system after spending a semester there. They were petrified, and their p... more »
    victoriasauce: There is NO WAY my 9 year old would be allowed to ride a Subway alone. Period. I have a 5 year old and drive her to school everyday when I could easil... more »
    Liz11685: This is so funny to me. We were allowed to play in the neighborhood until the streetlights came on when we were younger. My mom let me and my brother ... more »
    clevernamehere: I don't think the walking and bike riding answers contradict each other, bike riding in NYC is dangerous! I can see letting an 8 year old walk to scho... more »
    slightlyhardup: I grew up in Toronto, which is really just a mini NYC. My mother was a single mom and didn't really have much of a choice when it came to me going pla... more »
    Mkp-hearts-NYC: My mom made me stand at the bus stop in a very specific spot so she could see me from our house up the street starting at age 9 or so...and I was taki... more »
    randomnessish: I grew up in a suburb in Westchester, literally 15 minutes from NYC. I was able to traverse the town as I wished, walk to school, get pizza, what-hav... more »
    Breamworthy: Apparently child abduction rates are about the same now as they were 50 years ago... so, if kids were considered safe running around alone then, why n... more »
    Hooplehead: Plunk me down in the overprotective category. There are just too many sick freaks out there for me to feel safe sending a kid out alone in a city of ... more »
    msAnthrope: wow, my first reaction was that was some scary shit. but then again when i was 9, i felt pretty grown up and if i'd lived in a place like NYC that had... more »
    Evie Havok: I was lucky. I was chauffeured everywhere by my dad. Maybe this depends on the parents' availability? more »
    Aesop's Foibles. YES.: We lived in Philadelphia when I was growing up. Our neighborhood wasn't a "bad" one and we knew all of our neighbors, so sis and I were always allowed... more »
  • #freerangekids

    The Kids Are Alright On The Subway Alone

    Last April, Lenore Skenazy wrote a column in the now-defunct New York Sun about how she let her 9-year-old take the subway alone.