Michael Chabon has authored a new essay, “Manhood for Amateurs: The Wilderness of Childhood.” The essay explores why allowing children to have parentless adventures is important to developing their imaginations. Chabon questions whether the growing concern of parents for their children's safety, and the accompanying decrease in freedom children get to explore the world alone, will have long-lasting effects on literature and creativity in coming generations.

“The thing that strikes me now when I think about the Wilderness of Childhood is the incredible degree of freedom my parents gave me to adventure there,” Chabon writes. “A very grave, very significant shift in our idea of childhood has occurred since then. The Wilderness of Childhood is gone; the days of adventure are past. The land ruled by children, to which a kid might exile himself for at least some portion of every day from the neighboring kingdom of adulthood, has in large part been taken over, co-opted, colonized, and finally absorbed by [structured events and activities carefully planned by watchful and wary overly-involved parents].”

Did you have the freedom to roam your neighborhood/town/county? If so, what parentless adventures did you have?

I can say that I am lucky enough to live in such a small town that my children still get to have that wilderness experience. As a matter of fact, both of them are doing that just now.

I can remember taking my bike and riding the trails, playing in the "gully" unless rain was in the forecast. Being given money to walk more than 2 miles to the closest drug store to buy my favorite candy. Not coming in until the streetlights were on except for lunch and dinner.

After a disappearance of a friend of mine over 25 years ago, she is yet to be found, I have a great fear of strangers, and have instilled a healthy respect of strangers into my children. Luckily, in my small town, we are friends with the ENTIRE police department, I know my children are being watched when I can't watch them. It's happened and my 15 year old daughter was a little more than surprised! LOL

I was a latch key kid from the 2nd grade on. School got done about 2:20pm and I was on my own until my parents got home. I would just wonder around the neighborhood I was a little to afraid to go around Philly by myself in the 2nd grade. Buy time the 5th grade came around I was taking the train all over Philly when I actually had the money.

My mom showed me how to cook little things if I got hungry when she wasn't home from work in the summer. Then I learned how to really cook from that. She showed me how to do my own laundry. I am glad I was on my own it really taught me responsibility and to be self reliant. I have 15 year old cousins who have no idea how to use a washing machine sad really.

Hi.

I currently live in a fairly large city- there's no way that my daughter would be able to roam around here. Too many cars drive around, maybe because I live by a main road. Other than car danger, there is little stranger danger around [from what I know]-- I see kids roaming around [I live two houses down from a school] so it may be safe. However, a few months ago there was a woman whom was raped, in broad daylight, a few streets away from here, and no one helped her. So letting my little one roam around all "nilly willy", is a no.

I, however, on the other hand kind of grew up on my own. Kind of like spitvenom; came home from school, made my own dinner, went to bed by myself... I grew up almost parentless. I wish my mom was there more, to teach me about things, I trusted people I shouldn't have trusted and well stuff happened. However like spitvenom said "I am glad I was on my own it really taught me responsibility and to be self reliant" rings true for me also. Then again, I did go through a weird phase where I became dependent of someone, and tried to please them as much as I could so they wouldn't leave as my mother did-- funny how people are.

Nevertheless, I still try to raise a happy healthy little girl and try my hardest not to instill my fears into her.

I think that's all...

Sarah

We lived next to a lot of bush so I used to spend hours walking around and exploring.
Sometimes I would ride my bike down to the creek and go exploring in the rocks...

It has all been destroyed now, houses have taken over and the creek is now a big concrete pipe...

So sad :(

We lived in a very small town, less than 2000 people. I had a great childhood, living in a neighborhood about a mile from the county courthouse. It was kind of like Mayberry. We had a lot of freedom back in the 60's, parents really could trust their neighbors back then. Our family owned a clothing store on the square, and I would ride my bike to and from the house and there. Our neighbors were great. As kids, we didn't really take note of "property lines", and would eat apples, pomergranites, plums, and the like, wherever it was, because everyone was OK with it. We had a creek in the back yard, and us kids would make forts out of whatever materials we could get from our folks.

Today, we live about 13 miles from there, 6 miles from the nearest loaf of bread, on 20 acres that we own. We have an additional 236 acres in another county, but we love the school system where we are. Our driveway is over 1/4 miles long, and we can let our boys basically roam free. Our dog Joe lets us know when someone is coming. We have a creek here too, but the kids must have an escort to go there. We're raising our boys to appreciate nature, and so far, they are content doing outside activies. We don't have a video game system YET, and I'm actually go to put if off as long as I can. I want our boys to enjoy their childhood as much as I did, but we still have "boundaries obviously. I worry more about them at a public place than I do at home, on our land. Today, I am constantly shocked at all the news on, concerning child abductions . I still think the world is basically good, but that small percentage is a constant threat. GOD bless the little ones.

I lived near an unused field. I can vividly recall feeling the cool air on my legs as I waded into the grass, and the sweet smell of the weeds that reminded me of granola. There was a small pond where I caught tadpoles and listened to the frogs. Occasionally, I'd startle a pheasant. There was also a small woods near the park up the street. My friends and I spent entire days there in the summer. I used to hunt for fossils near the cement company in my neighborhood. My mom would die if she knew some of the stuff we did!

I also remember that we were constantly running around- t.v. was pretty much for Saturday mornings only. We didn't have video games, and overweight kids were extremely rare. I think I was very fortunate... my nieces and nephews don't have the freedom that I did.

Gosh, I was allowed plenty. I might have been born in the beginning of the 80s but in my town (now a city apperantly) it was still the time where your front door was unlocked.

I used to play with my brother and cousin a lot. Hours of running around our neighborhood pretending to be turtles (or course being the only girl, I always had to be april). Near the place we lived, we also had some trees and bushes that was perfect for hiding. Me and my childhood best friend spend hours there every week (in the summer) pretending it was a house... or when ever we ran away from home (usually when we were caught doing something silly and got grounded). Like peeing in a bottle in my room and pouring it out the window, or when we wanted to wash my best friends room by throwing soap in the celing... gosh, when come to think of it the bottle thing was the worst. (and yes I was 6 and she was 5, so luckly we were way way young and I'm not ashamed. ;))

Back to point. I never really thought of it as the wilderness of my childhood. But its an interesting topic WonderGirl. :) and I must say.

I can totally relate to the 'Wilderness of our Childhood' and part of me grieves for what many children don't experience today!

I grew up in a smallish provincial town of about 60,000 people, we lived near a huge lake and opposite a park that extended into Botanical Gardens. It was a magical place for me as a child, spent exploring the Gardens and searching for fairies, building tree houses in the park, canoeing on the lake and teasing the swans.

Weekends were spent outside, riding bikes, playing multiple games, exploring the gardens, lake, park. Summers were hot and endless and we walked miles to the nearest swimming pool (the lake was not really fit for swimming), without any adults accompanying us.

Each Sunday we would visit my grandparents that lived on the other side of town near some old goldmines and we would explore the hills and mounds of rubble for hours - old car doors became surfboards and we would 'surf' down the mounds of rubble in rushes of fear and adrenaline. (My parents would have been extremely cross if they had known!)

Very few of our activities were structured by my parents (although they were strict about mealtimes and kept a watchful eye), we lived close to school so most of my friends lived in the neighborhood and we essentially entertained ourselves.

I was a child in the true sense of the word, a sponge soaking up the world, full of fantasy and imaginary friends, innocent and trusting. It was great.