The Cost of Safetyism

The Cost of Safetyism What we lost when we stopped letting kids leave the front yard. When I was 11 and 12, I’d ride my bike to meet friends at the local sandlot baseball field 1.5 miles away, or to a friends house to go play pickup football in the street. When I was 14, I’d go on 10+ mile runs, exploring every bit of road, sidewalk, and path I could find. Exploration was a rite of passage. Today, 84% of 11 year olds aren’t allowed to leave their street, with 53% not even allowed to leave their.