Ain't what it used to be, being a kid

Parents investigated for neglect after letting kids walk home alone - The Washington Post:

"Police picked up the children near the Discovery building, the family said, after someone reported seeing them."

My sister reminds me when we were about the same age as these two kids—I was 10 or 11, she was eight or nine—our parents let us ride on a train by ourselves from Duluth, Minnesota to Lincoln, Nebraska, and (you guessed it) back. We had to change trains in Chicago. We had an uncle in Chicago who worked for the railroad and he no doubt helped us change trains, although I don’t remember it, and no doubt arranged for the train crew to keep an eye on us along the way, although they must have stayed pretty much out of sight because I don’t remember that either. What I do remember is eating club sandwiches in the dining car. The way to a boy’s heart…

That, and lying in a bunk at night watching out the window as the train whizzed through little towns along the way, the towns all lit up and the crossing gates down, bells ringing—which is absolutely the very best thing you can do while riding on a train. Even better than the club sandwiches.