My parents would be in jail…

Except, now, in Utah:

“Utah’s ‘Free Range Parenting’ law is a good example of common sense legislation,” Herbert told ABC News in a statement Tuesday. “We believe that parents know and love their children better than anybody. We also believe that absent evidence of neglect, danger or cruelty, parents have the best sense of how to teach responsibility to their children. Responsible parents should be able to let kids be kids without constantly looking over their shoulders for approval.”

Pretty much, I had to be home at dinnertime, and then inside at dark. I pretty much went where I wanted and when I wanted, as long as I did the chores they assigned.

If I got in trouble elsewhere, I got into a LOT more trouble when I got home or they heard about it.

Somehow I escaped being kidnapped, abducted, sold into slavery, etc.

Today, parents in rural locations DRIVE their kids to the end of the driveway and wait for the bus with their kids….. MY parents kicked me out the door and expected that I would catch the bus……And trusted me to know how to be safe.

Same way during the summer. I wandered anywhere I wanted on my bicycle…as long as I was home for dinner or informed them as to where I was.

Parents today claim that their kids live in a much more dangerous environment, but statistics don’t bear that out. Much like the “razor blades in Halloween candy” it’s just a fear that is ungrounded in fact…. just mothers being fearful.

At least Utah has decided that parents can decide when and where their kids can go and do unsupervised….and let their kids learn to be responsible.