To the editor: This op-ed places numerous the blame on mother and father who don’t give their children sufficient freedom (“If you get kids off their devices, where are they going to go?,” Oct. 17). It doesn’t inform us what has occurred to oldsters who did give their children this freedom in a society that punishes mother and father for doing simply that. For instance:
1. Brittany Patterson (Georgia, 2024), a mom of 4, was handcuffed and arrested after her 10-year-old son walked a mile alone of their small city.
2. Mallerie Shirley (Georgia, 2025) confronted a police investigation after her 6-year-old rode a scooter alone three blocks to a playground.
3. Karyann Parkinson (Virginia, 2026) allowed her 5-year-old son to stroll a half-mile alone of their gated neighborhood to gather goose feathers. A safety guard stopped the boy, escorted him residence and referred to as the police. The mom was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. She obtained a six-month suspended jail sentence and faces seven years on the Virginia baby abuse registry.
It’s right that one thing has to vary.
Laura Newman, Santa Barbara
..
To the editor: The commentary about the necessity to present “areas” for teenagers to get collectively and socialize talked about many alternatives, but missed a most necessary one: neighborhood volunteering.
Our Pacific Palisades YMCA acknowledges the necessity for providing teenagers a spot to be of service and offers a large number of alternatives for younger folks to get collectively and contribute to their neighborhood — beautification is a volunteer alternative that’s particularly well-liked. When teenagers come collectively and plant timber, clear up hillsides, create a local plant backyard, choose up parkway trash, and so on., they achieve management abilities and confidence amongst camaraderie.
Cindy Simon, Pacific Palisades
..
To the editor: Once I was a young person, I used to make an annual pilgrimage in the summertime on my bike. I visited my grandmother and aunts 9 miles away, navigating a closely traveled highway with vans and automobiles. I discovered how you can safely make these journeys annually by fastidiously analyzing the route.
Totally different occasions, I assume.
Richard Mercurio, Lengthy Seaside
