Remix.run Logo
sh-run 3 days ago

I live in Colorado, we have a "free-range" law that protects parents allowing their children to play outside unattended. It's a bit sad that such a law needs to exist, but I'm glad we have it here.

In our neighborhood it's very common to see kids (including mine!) outside doing things by themselves. We bike with our oldest son to school (he's 7), but plenty of other parents let their kids bike to school on their own. I think it helps that we live in a city with good pedestrian infrastructure and lots of green spaces. The whole city is better for it and I wish more US cities would do the same. My sister's neighborhood in a different state feels like a very fancy prison, nice homes, but you can't even go to a park without getting in a car.

nxm 2 days ago | parent [-]

Why was the law added in the first place? Just not creating a stupid law that prevents such restrictions is enough by default (it's legal unless it's formally illegal)

estearum 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

> Just not creating a stupid law that prevents such restrictions is enough by default (it's legal unless it's formally illegal)

Not practically true at all. Everywhere has child endangerment laws, and I would bet that the vast majority of them can be readily used to prosecute the types of behaviors the free-range laws are meant to protect.

stephencanon 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

I would assume that the state law protects parents against a city adding a restriction in their municipal code.