Loitering was basically never prosecuted. Now it is. Just hanging out at the movie theater for an hour or two before/after a movie sounds like a great way to get arrested.
taj
joined 3 years ago
Yes, but very few parents just let their kids run around outside. Very few kids get to walk or bike to friends houses, without adult supervision. We have all internalized "stranger danger" and the "danger" that random people are to kids.
I honestly hadn't thought about card shops as third spaces, but they absolutely can be. Also libraries, book stores, etc.
The not spending money part is soo key. We should not have to spend money every time we leave our homes.
The very concept of unsupervised kids is so anathema to society today. Kids need spaces to just be kids.
Summer camp - the overnight, week or two long kind, is a great middle ground. Yes, kids are "supervised". But... Mostly, just by bigger kids. Who are there, mostly to have fun too. Run, play, swim, learn about themselves and other people. My boys both spent every summer for 12+ years at camp. And they always grew, so, so much while they were there.
There's still lots of malls .. but they're empty. And often prohibit minors without an adult.