Is small-town America as close to our childhood as we’ll find today?

I grew up a city kid. Inner city. Big city. But even still, my summers as a child saw me leave the house after breakfast and usually not return until sunset, unless it was for me and my friends to make a quick wonder-bread PB&J.

But now, my wife and I live in a tiny town of 2,500. The next nearest town is 20 minutes away, and between us and them is nothing but corn fields, woods, rolling hills, and rivers. The nearest Walmart is a 35 minutes away drive. The nearest Target is 1 hour. The closest airport that actually gets you anywhere is 3 hours.

And here’s what I see in the summer:

Bands of boys on their bikes, sometimes with fishing poles, or baseball mitts and bats.

Kids playing in the park with no parents in sight. I’m taking kids as young as 5, 6, 7. They probably walked here, in their own. Or maybe their parents are watching older siblings play a game on the other side of the park.

Even after dark, teens playing basketball on the public court… a court which has lights that anyone can turn on.

Tween girls hanging out at the coffee / ice cream shop with no parents. They leave and walk off across town on foot.

There is a trout stream just outside of town. Remote. Wooded. Beautiful. I’m on a walk with my dog and a boy age ~9 is fly fishing. On his own. Alone. I know where he lives. It’s a half hour walk. I don’t see a bike. Or his parents. And the spot he’s fishing in isn’t easy to get to. He waves and calls me and my dog by name. And no matter who saw him, not a soul would think to call the cops and rat out his parents.