Canadian Dad let his kids ride the bus alone and it sparked a national debate

[Hctaz]

I think that's the illusion of safety. The world isn't more safe, it's just more aware. More security guards in a school doesn't mean it's more safe than it was in a time where there wasn't a need for security guards at all. The times we grew up in riding bikes in the street without adult supervision are vastly different from the environments we live in now.

No I'm saying like... it's literally harder to kidnap people when everybody and their mother who is of an age to possibly ever be alone has a cell phone. I remember one time in high school, I accidentally mis-dialed my girlfriend's phone number on some shitty phone I had that didn't like... let you text somebody without putting their phone number in manually. Anyway, I promptly received an angry text from a man claiming I was sexting his 6 year old daughter. Firstly: wowie did I sure fuck up that number in the worst possible way... It could have been like... literally any of the vast number of adults with a phone... And secondly: I learned that six year olds had cell phones.

And that trend holds true to this day except now people are less stupid and make sure that their children can only send and receive calls to approved numbers. My girlfriend's 6 year old sister has had a phone since she starter Kindergarten a year ago. But I mean if they're ever in trouble, they can literally just dial 911 or their parents for help. It's definitely a lot safer than before because of that.

[Celista]

I'd let a 9 year old ride the bus alone no problem. Seven seems a little young, but maybe if they were with an older sibling...helicopter parenting is out of control these days.

[Taeldorian]

Just graduated HS last year so the start of middle school was about 8 years ago for me. I rode the bus to school every single day until freshman year of HS. It's obviously different than public transit as it was our school bus and only had the driver+kids from my school on it however most kids including myself had to walk to specific spots to meet with the bus.

I see why some people would be afraid of letting their kids ride public transit however kids 7 and especially 11 know not to go with strangers. Most kids learn that 4-6. So if the kids were taught right I don't see an issue.

[Tijuana]

Where in the story does it say there A taking his kids or any action or B that no where in Canada do kids ride on buses alone or they take your kids for raising the way you want.

You must be bloody daft, my mom couldn't get the government to take my sister when she was troubled with drugs and drinking and had jumped out of a moving car while high and my moms the one who called them. The government isn't interfering with how people raise there kids unless it's an extreme case.

Are you saying this story is untrue? The facts of the story are clear, and they do not jive with your wild claims.

Also, that's pretty fucked up your mom was trying to get rid of your sister. WTF...

[Lorgar Aurelian]

Are you saying this story is untrue? The facts of the story are clear, and they do not jive with your wild claims.

Also, that's pretty fucked up your mom was trying to get rid of your sister. WTF...

Your pretty dense one story does not equate to the whole country.

My mother was a single mother of 4 who tried for about 3 years to help my sister out after jumping out of a car high my mom thougt she might have been better off out of the home as she had trouble with the police as well and my mother couldn't really deal with her. In the end child services decided she was best off where she was as even with being a single mother of 4 my mom had steady over night work so she was home with the kids in the day a live in nanny/house keeper and owned her own house at the age of about 35. In the end my sister grew out of it after about another 2 years and a friend of her s moved in with us as she got kicked out by her mother. The Canadian government don't interfere unless its an extreme case even in this story they haven't taken any action further from the looks of it.

[Aleksej89]

Shieet in the sh*thole eastern europe where i live the kids use the public transportation alone since they are 8years old (first grade elementary school).

Most parents don't have cars and are each working 2 jobs every day so taking your kid to school is not an option (if grandparents are alive and willing then they can help out).