Way to Russia Talk Lounge

Only · Frequent Guest Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 48

Hi, I am new here, just thought I'd chime in Smile

I grew up in Moscow in 70's- 80's , in a (then) new neighbourhood filled with blocks and blocks of large appartment buildings. Since I was four, my parents would let me go to my daycare center by myself - it was really near though, some 100 yards or so Smile

- and play outside with my friends of same age as long as we'd keep in sight of our building windows.
By the time I was ten, I was allowed to travel by bus and subway as long as I was with a company of two-three other kids my age. And it was long before cell phones and such: city was considered safe for children, period. The only thing that was strictly prohibited was to board an elevator with a stranger or wander on your own, without friends (friends and myself being girls, btw).

It really saddens me that I can't provide same type of freedom for my 7 year old daughter now, not here, in New York, not in Moscow...

Yes, I agree that parenthood in US has a few things one would call paranoid, especially for the country that allows its 16 year olds to drive...How those overly protected kids are supposed to get responsible all of a sudden as soon as they hit 16 is beyond me: doesn't all our experience say that teens is the *least* responsible age except, perhaps, infancy?

Having to walk around on one's own since an early age is not about comfort , it is about learning to be self-efficient and responsible, learning to assess your surroundings, to ask for help when you need it, and about actually *earning* your confidence without someone feeding it to you, I think Rolling Eyes

mr. barley · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:23 am Post subject: Russian winter

My wife and I were in Moscow from December 27 through January 14 and I gotta say I was hot no matter where I went. We adopted a boy from Bryansk and while we were there we were hot all the time. We're from Minnesota and we had been watching Moscow's weather for almost a year and it pretty much the same as Minnesota weather even though we are on the 45th parellel and Moscow is about the 55th. When we were in Moscow it was very warm(about 35 degreesF or more) and it was very cold( about 15 degreesF) for high temps.I realize it's been an unusually warm winter in Moscow, but as far as cold is concerned Moscow has nothing over Minnesota. We are also very hot (about 90 degrees or more)and humid in the summer. We loved Moscow in the winter, it was just like home. My wife's parents were in Russia in the summer 2 years ago and they were uncomfortably hot all the time. We are accustomed to air conditioning. We are very spoiled in America when it come to creature comforts. By the way, our little Russian son is doing great even though he was a premature birth baby.God has blessed us immeasurably.

mr. barley · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:31 am Post subject:

When I said it was 15 degrees I meant Minnesota high temperatures while we were in Moscow. The low temperatures in Minnesota were in the -15 to -25 F range while were enjoyig much higher temps in Moscow.

vorteks · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 1:17 pm Post subject:

Cyndy,

My original concern was that children in remote areas in Russia could not access education because of the lack of public transport, since i witnessed people with no motor vehicule had to "hitch hike" (while negociating a fee) to move around.

I believe you should start a new thread about that interesting topic since it s a bit far from the weather topic.

Anyways, about paranoia in the US...I toured the US all around in '93 on a motorcycle (30k miles) and found out that, even tho at first contact locals could be cautious, you could earn their trust quite fast, especially in small towns. I remember falling off the bike in the cajun area and having to undergo surgery. Since I couldn t move for 3 weeks, I used a book i had with anonymous phone numbers of motorcycle fans all around the country. There was one number in New Iberia. I called and explained my problem. This was a family in their 40s with 2 young girls. They ended up hosting me for 3 weeks, repairing the bike, showing me the cajun culture...200% trust to a total stranger. The atmosphere in megapoles was much more tensed, especially the Los Angeles area.

But I do understand parents getting over protective, after the very mediatic affairs that occured in the US in and around schools (mass murders, raketing, paedophilia...). When i was a child, at the age of 13, i was approached by such a mentally ill guy when i was coming back from fencing. But we were aware of such dangers and I just had to yiel "leave me alone" to get rid of the predator. The danger comes much more from people that have an authority on the child, like a teacher, a family member, a social worker. I had a problem with a scout leader that happened to be a catholic seminarist at the age of 16, somebody that represented a moral authority. It didnt go far, but it went further than it would if it was a stranger.

cyndy22 · Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2005 3:44 pm Post subject:

Since there is some interest in this topic, I will introduce it in a thread of its own. Thanks for sharing and welcome new members.

Jutrzenkapolska · VIP Joined: 16 Sep 2004 Posts: 534

Yes it's different raising young children in Manhattan than in a small town in Massachusetts.

I wouldn't say Americans are over-protective over children.It varies from family to family. Some let their teenagers stay till 3 am at their friends' apartment, some don't. Mine mostly didn't; they were protective over me but maybe rightly so.

You are right, I'm 2nd generation and live in the heart of the city.I guess you can call me Agatha.

See you guys on the next thread.