You Know 6-Year-Old Etan Patz Disappeared 33 Years Ago Because He Was Walking Alone
In these modern times of video baby monitors and helicopter babysitters and parents, I don’t know anyone who would let their 6-year-old go anywhere unattended — New York City or otherwise. Our very own editor-in-chief Shawna Cohen doesn’t let her 6-year stray from the home with adult supervision, and the kid apparently has no interest in doing so. Lindsay Cross‘s 6-year-old niece isn’t allowed to play in her fenced in backyard without an adult present — in suburban Indiana. The belief of keeping children that age under constant adult supervision doesn’t seem to waver regardless of whether you’re living in a metropolitan area or a quiet town.
Little Etan disappeared on a solo walk to a school bus stop, a testament to the relatively lax parenting of the 1970s, but also a reminder of how quickly parenting norms have changed.
(photo: nymag.com)