Growing up we were constantly moving around. It wasn't until high school that we stayed in one city more than a year. My dad was working to gain more experience to open his own business, so we moved to where the more challenging projects and opportunities existed.

 

This had many benefits, one of the largest being exploring the new territory. I'd set out on my bike on Saturday morning and not return until mid-afternoon. Remember, this is pre-cell phone days. Sure, I had a few bucks in my pocket, but it was just me, my trusty ten speed and the road.

 

My parents were very agreeable to this and trusted me to be safe. I really never got lost until, get this, high school. It was the winter of my eighth grade year and I decided to take public transportation down to my high school in the city. This was the first time I had taken the bus from the suburb into the city. You'd think I would have mapped out my route, but again, this was pre-internet days.

 

I had been to the high school once, a short visit to look around, so I thought I knew where it was located. Who knew St. Louis was such a large city. Eventually I tried of riding the bus and got off at a stop I thought looked familiar. Looking around nothing looked familiar, but I lucked out and a large hardware store was across the street. I went in, begged to use the phone and called my parents. Dad answered and after asking me if I was ok, asked the next logical question.

 

"Where are you?"

 

I had no idea. It was the first time I was genuinely lost on my own. Sheepishly I asked the manager the address and some basic directions from the suburbs. He was a friendly, amused man who told me what to tell my Dad. Dad showed up 30 minutes later and we laughed about it. 

 

Oh, it turns out the high school was less than two miles away. Had I stayed on the bus I would have made it.

 

Why the long back story on this? It turns out that the amount of area a child is allowed to roam around in when playing is changing. In today's paranoid world of real and perceived threats kids are being corralled into their yards instead of their towns.

 

The article looks at how the space to play has shrunk over four generations for their eight year old counterparts:

 

 

This is a fascinating look at how accepted norms for rearing children have changed over the years.