I never visited my grandparents by myself without the parents… not even at Michael’s age. The only time my brother and I got to seem them was two years ago at a family reunion seeing some cousins and the cousins’ families… a few years after the grandparents’ deaths. In other words, my brother and I managed to to take solo drives to the cemetery and drive by their house.
Michael is not truly going alone. He is going to be put on a plane where he cannot wander of or go anywhere until they stop and somebody is there to meet him. A little different than driving somewhere by yourself.
I agree, Mike. The first time you do something that is “grown-up” is a bit scary. My oldest doesn’t like staying at home by herself even though it’s only 20 minutes and her friends love it (yes, she’s old enough).
my son went to see his grandmother on a plane by himself for the first time when he was 6. Back in the day children were totally supervised start to finish and they let him go into the cockpit and talk to the pilot and he loved it. In fact he went every year until he was 12 or 13. Michael will enjoy the flight.
I rode a train at age 12—-all by myself. I’m sure my mom freaked, while my dad just shrugged his shoulders. I think the world was a little bit safer back in the 60s!
The world, even here in the US, wasn’t any safer. Knowledge of the abuses inflicted on the innocent was. Children were chattel, what their parents did and did not do was only their business. A runaway was a “bad” kid, even when leaving an impossible situation – they were fair game to pimps and panderers.
spent the whole summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with my grandparents from the time I was 5 until I was 17. Some of the happiest memories of my life.
My child-on-plane story: Years ago, my 5 yr old niece was flying out to stay with me for a while during a family emergency. I ran into a traffic jam on the freeway and was late getting to the Phoenix Airport. I was literally RUNNING through the airport, trying to get to the gate before her plane landed. I came around a corner and ran hard into a very large man and it knocked me flat on my back. I heard a VERY familiar voice say “Are you OK little lady?” Then John Wayne reached down and grabbed me by the shoulders and set me back on my feet. He had a ranch outside Phoenix and used to fly in all the time. For one of the few times in my life, I was absolutely speechless!
I believe I dragged my mom to junior high on the first day. I was twelve. (We had a school bus available to take us.) I was also afraid to ride the city bus – I feared the driver wouldn’t see me pulling the cord to get off (if I could have reached it – I was quite short then, but grew12" in the eighth grade). I feared I’d be taken to the end of the line and would be hopelessly lost forever. Glad I didn’t have to ride a plane cross country – but it would have been a Greyhound bus.
The point most of us are trying to make is that there is no correlation between being on a cross-country flight with close supervision and being a latchkey kid, alone in the house or with friends inside wrecking the place.
route66paul: It wasn’t just criminals. Police liked to imprison kids running away from abuse. In the 1950s, the Supreme Court declared minors had no civil rights at all (in a case involving child abuse) and adults made the most of it.
I was in my 50’s when I made my first airplane trip…flew to Colorado Springs from MS to testify in a trial against one of our former Inmates…I made a comment to a fellow passenger about it being my first flight…and she responded “And you’re not DRUNK???”…Happily, I was not.
Too bad that Mike seems to believe the sis (that he’s being sent off because unwanted) – sad.
My parents were in their 20s when they married and had me and took many vacation trips back to NYC. I suspect dad was still looking to change back to show business career. I was left to stay with grandparents in their huge house during those. Even my great-grandmother was alive for quite a few years of my life (and we were always over there for Sunday dinner- mom never learned to cook). I started cooking for our family when around 11 or 12.
This shows generations of my family back in grandma’s garden in the 1940s. Great gma is at the far right, my mom has striped dress and I’m the girl with arms up right next to grandma (lots of Aunts and Cousins). The men were all at work.
Templo S.U.D. almost 11 years ago
I never visited my grandparents by myself without the parents… not even at Michael’s age. The only time my brother and I got to seem them was two years ago at a family reunion seeing some cousins and the cousins’ families… a few years after the grandparents’ deaths. In other words, my brother and I managed to to take solo drives to the cemetery and drive by their house.
mischugenah almost 11 years ago
I was about his age when my sister and I started making trips to our grandparents’ by ourselves.
Sportymonk almost 11 years ago
Michael is not truly going alone. He is going to be put on a plane where he cannot wander of or go anywhere until they stop and somebody is there to meet him. A little different than driving somewhere by yourself.
Sportymonk almost 11 years ago
BTW, how many assumed it was a jet rather than a plane?
lightenup Premium Member almost 11 years ago
I agree, Mike. The first time you do something that is “grown-up” is a bit scary. My oldest doesn’t like staying at home by herself even though it’s only 20 minutes and her friends love it (yes, she’s old enough).
jeanie5448 almost 11 years ago
my son went to see his grandmother on a plane by himself for the first time when he was 6. Back in the day children were totally supervised start to finish and they let him go into the cockpit and talk to the pilot and he loved it. In fact he went every year until he was 12 or 13. Michael will enjoy the flight.
coffeeturtle almost 11 years ago
Is he excited or worried?
sundogusa almost 11 years ago
I rode a train at age 12—-all by myself. I’m sure my mom freaked, while my dad just shrugged his shoulders. I think the world was a little bit safer back in the 60s!
alondra almost 11 years ago
It does seem like a daunting experience, but they must believe the stewardesses will take good care of him until he’s met by his grandparents.
AndiJ almost 11 years ago
My friend had to do this if she wanted to go see her dad every summer. She loved it. I would not have.
route66paul almost 11 years ago
The world, even here in the US, wasn’t any safer. Knowledge of the abuses inflicted on the innocent was. Children were chattel, what their parents did and did not do was only their business. A runaway was a “bad” kid, even when leaving an impossible situation – they were fair game to pimps and panderers.
sbwertz almost 11 years ago
spent the whole summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, with my grandparents from the time I was 5 until I was 17. Some of the happiest memories of my life.
sbwertz almost 11 years ago
My child-on-plane story: Years ago, my 5 yr old niece was flying out to stay with me for a while during a family emergency. I ran into a traffic jam on the freeway and was late getting to the Phoenix Airport. I was literally RUNNING through the airport, trying to get to the gate before her plane landed. I came around a corner and ran hard into a very large man and it knocked me flat on my back. I heard a VERY familiar voice say “Are you OK little lady?” Then John Wayne reached down and grabbed me by the shoulders and set me back on my feet. He had a ranch outside Phoenix and used to fly in all the time. For one of the few times in my life, I was absolutely speechless!
Gokie5 almost 11 years ago
I believe I dragged my mom to junior high on the first day. I was twelve. (We had a school bus available to take us.) I was also afraid to ride the city bus – I feared the driver wouldn’t see me pulling the cord to get off (if I could have reached it – I was quite short then, but grew12" in the eighth grade). I feared I’d be taken to the end of the line and would be hopelessly lost forever. Glad I didn’t have to ride a plane cross country – but it would have been a Greyhound bus.
JanLC almost 11 years ago
The point most of us are trying to make is that there is no correlation between being on a cross-country flight with close supervision and being a latchkey kid, alone in the house or with friends inside wrecking the place.
Llywus almost 11 years ago
I visited my grandparents whenever I wanted to. Of course, they lived about 200 yards away across a field and driveway.
hippogriff almost 11 years ago
route66paul: It wasn’t just criminals. Police liked to imprison kids running away from abuse. In the 1950s, the Supreme Court declared minors had no civil rights at all (in a case involving child abuse) and adults made the most of it.
jppjr almost 11 years ago
I was in my 50’s when I made my first airplane trip…flew to Colorado Springs from MS to testify in a trial against one of our former Inmates…I made a comment to a fellow passenger about it being my first flight…and she responded “And you’re not DRUNK???”…Happily, I was not.
emilychloestella almost 11 years ago
Poor Michael, he’s terrified!
palespirit almost 11 years ago
The first time I did that I was 12, and had to go to this special ‘Kids Room’ during my layover… That place was terrifying.
vldazzle almost 11 years ago
Too bad that Mike seems to believe the sis (that he’s being sent off because unwanted) – sad.
My parents were in their 20s when they married and had me and took many vacation trips back to NYC. I suspect dad was still looking to change back to show business career. I was left to stay with grandparents in their huge house during those. Even my great-grandmother was alive for quite a few years of my life (and we were always over there for Sunday dinner- mom never learned to cook). I started cooking for our family when around 11 or 12.
vldazzle almost 11 years ago
This shows generations of my family back in grandma’s garden in the 1940s. Great gma is at the far right, my mom has striped dress and I’m the girl with arms up right next to grandma (lots of Aunts and Cousins). The men were all at work.