George Epstein: Childhood’s End

Ten percent of New Hampshire’s population today are kids in grades K-8. When I was growing up in a New Jersey suburb, 20 percent of the population were little kids. Our primarily Catholic town had exceptionally large families — five or more kids was not at all unusual. Roughly 30 kids within three years of my age lived within two blocks. All 700 elementary schoolers were a reasonable bike ride away.

We walked to school, no school buses needed. When not in school, we were feral creatures. We moved in packs. We boys played baseball, basketball and football all the time in all sorts of weather. Starting in fourth grade there was organized baseball. Football and basketball started in sixth grade. But for every hour of adult-coached sports, we played 30 on our own.