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I find it ironic that in America, where child rearing is the epitome of life in mainstream culture, parents are so awful at it, especially at instilling independence and freedom, something we claim to value more than anything. This article is only interesting in comparison with our failed parenting. In comparison to many other cultures, it's pretty mundane and similar.

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Exactly, I'd say America is more exception than a rule in this regard. This article implies that 5-6 years old walking to school alone is something extraordinary. It's common in my country too, actually, most of the first graders that are dropped off by parents are those who live outside of town and there's no good public transit route.

> parents are so awful at it

That's a really sweeping statement. In reference to this particular article, there may be a lot of reasons why fewer American children travel to school by themselves, including geography and transportation options.

That's pretty irrelevant. I base my assessment of the horrific parenting in this country on our poor and still falling educational achievements and the censorship houses our universities have turned into. I understand that the law enforces such poor parenting practices by throwing parents in jail, placing children in foster care, etc., but that's still no excuse.

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