SHOULD 9-YEAR-OLDS BE ABLE TO PLAY ALONE OUTSIDE?

(Aug, 2014) A Reason-Rupe national telephone poll finds:
– 68 percent of Americans believe the law should require children 9-years-old and younger to be supervised while playing in public parks. Just 28 percent of Americans think 9-year-olds should be able to play unsupervised at the park.
– 53 percent say 12-year olds should be allowed to play at public parks unsupervised, while 43 percent say the law should require them be supervised.
The poll comes on the heels of last month’s story of South Carolina mother Debra Harrell who was arrested for letting her 9-year-old daughter play in a park unsupervised – although she had a cellphone – while she was at work.
* What’s the worse that can happen? Some freak captures the kid and keeps her in the basement for 18 years.
* On the one hand, you don’t want a Nanny State, on the other hand, there’s no law prohibiting stupid people from having kids.
* There are parks I wouldn’t go to if I had a machine gun on me.
* Wow, when I think of the exploring I did as a kid – my parents would have gotten life.
* Of course, things were different back then. Or my parents just didn’t really like me.
* No kid plays in a park for as long as a work shift. I’m rethinking this.