Those of us with children always have an ear out for that phrase. What with drive by shootings in major metropolitan areas, the fear of letting your kids out of your sight for a second although we know at some point they have to learn to be independent. . . what’s a parent to do? Where are we to go?

Let me tell you about my southwest Virginia. I live in Radford, in the New River Valley, part of Virginia’s Great Southwest. Both of my kids walk to school (when they don’t bribe me for a ride. . .) they walk to the library, downtown, the park, their friend’s house. . .. . Obviously, when they began walking places by themselves there were ground rules and boundaries, but I admit as a parent, I feel like I’ve pulled off a great feat. I’ve been able to provide my children with just a little bit of the freedom I had in my childhood, within a safe environment. I know that when they go downtown to get a hot chocolate at the Coffee Mill or see a $3.50 movie at the Radford Cinema, that along they way they will pass people they know and trust. If there ever is a problem, they can stop into a friendly shop, and I’m minutes away via cell phone. I recall a child I babysat in New York City, having to pick him up from his school in a taxi cab. That was just weird. I love New York, but when I’m up there now visiting with my children, I’m like a hawk holding on to their arms, watching the crowd. I’m so grateful to be able to allow them a bit of freedom so they can grow into their independence, while experiencing for myself a little peace of mind.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 14th, 2008 at 10:03 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.