I’m sitting in my office drinking my second cup of coffee and watching the morning get started outside. Parents are walking kids to the school bus stop in front of our house. Some of those parents were kids who were getting on and off the bus at that stop when we moved in 28 years ago.

Our son rode the school bus to elementary school and high school. Given that the stop was in front of our house, he never had an adult walk with him. When he was in middle school, he walked to school by himself.

When I was in the first grade 69 years ago, the kids on the street where I lived all walked to the school bus stop at the end of road without any adults escorting us. An eight grader walked with the other first grader and me, but I can’t remember ever seeing any adults at the bus stop.