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Currently finishing up the last of my thank you cards from the holiday season. (I'm so behind this year!) I doubt thank you cards will be mailed in about ten years.

Currently finishing up the last of my thank you cards from the holiday season. (I'm so behind this year!) I doubt thank you cards will be mailed in about ten years.

52 comments

[–] InnocentBystander 12 points (+12|-0)

Free-range children. The idea of young children being tossed outside in the morning to run wild in the wilderness, and possibly not seen again until dusk, is already becoming hard to believe.

[–] Boukert 6 points (+6|-0)

Luckily this is still very much the norm in the Netherlands. Riding your bike to school age 10-16 is considered normal for all schoolchildren (we dont even have schoolbusses)

[–] E-werd 3 points (+3|-0)

To be fair, most of your population probably lives within a couple miles of a school anyway and that makes sense. Here in the US a child might live 10-20 miles away from their school which makes busing a must.

[–] Boukert 0 points (+0|-0)

Yeah that;s true, about 90% of kids live within 30 min cycling distance, one of the benefits of living in such a dense populated country. Besides that benefit the "free-range mentality" is very much a cornerstone of growing up here though. Go play with a friend - take your bike, go play your sport (sports are not arranged by schools but their own associations) - take your bike, want to go into the citycentre (mall) - take your bike.

[–] simone [OP] 5 points (+5|-0)

Great answer! Now free range kids get child services called on them.

[–] smallpond 2 points (+2|-0)

Somehow I managed to miss your response before writing mine - clearly I relate.