First of all, for the record, I like kids. I hope to have some of my own. I just have this thing about parents just letting their kids run wild. That is one pet peeve I have about summers here on The Oregon Coast. The parents just turn children loose. I can see letting kids 12 and older do their own thing. This is turning smaller children loose. I saw a toddler running loose once and dart out towards the street(which, by the way, is Highway 101 the main route through downtown shopping.) If it wasn't for an adult male(I'm hoping was the father or another relative)grabbing the kid, I'm afraid the end result would have been more tragic. It just isn't right. My parents would not let me out of their sight until I was at least 13(no matter how much I complained and whined.) When I finally become a dad, I won't be that strict. Twelve is the magic number(or sooner if they show they are mature and responsible enough not to get lost or go off with a stranger.) Also, I've had kids come up to me, out of the blue, and just strike up a conversation. I'm not even at work at the time. One time I was grocery shopping and a little boy came up and started asking me what I was doing and what I was buying. I've never met the kid before and he was chatting like we were old friends. If I would have done that as a kid, my mom would have been pissed off. The kid's mom didn't know who I was or if I was a pedophile or child killer. Again, I really like kids. My nieces and nephews give me the seal of approval. I just worry that the parents of the 21st century are trying so hard not to be like their parents that they are teaching their kids bad things. When you mix that with traveling to an unfamiliar place and it equals disaster. Example: During spring break an 11-year-old boy was caught in a rip current playing in the ocean. An older boy tried to save him and he got caught in the same rip current. Both ended up drowning. The younger boy's body was found right away. The older one's was found just last month. Please, if you are traveling, I beg you to keep an eye on your kids. Not because they terrorize others but for their safety.
'nuff said.