Sep 8, 2026, 8:48 PMRE: https://mastodon.social/@gwynnion/117236629424145769
🗣 LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!
we need more COMMUNITY CENTERS, more PARKS, more PUBLIC SPORTS CENTERS, more PUBLIC LIBRARIES, more PUBLIC MUSEUMS, more free THEATER, more free CONCERTS.
even in #nyc it was hell for my sons to find places to hang with their friends when they were teenagers ―that didn't involve spending money.
none of that can be replaced by tech and, even less, their slopping stalkerware.
Sep 8, 2026, 10:13 PMThis is why my answer any time someone in my family asks if I'm going to move to the suburbs now that I have a kid is "absolutely not".
The other day we were at our neighbor's place and their 10 year old just said bye and walked out to meet some friends at the playground and we really want that level of independence for our kid when the time comes.
Sep 8, 2026, 10:21 PM@gbargoud my kids walked to school. the only time they needed to take a bus was when a wall almost collapsed and they were farmed out to several schools for 8 months. those were the most traumatic 8 months of their public school education.
people always say, oh nyc is so expensive why don't you leave? i cannot afford it. just needing a car would bankrupt me completely. then there’s the rent stabilization, free edu, almost free health care. USA is prohibitive compared to nyc.
Sep 8, 2026, 10:24 PMOur kid just got into the public 3s program at the school 4 blocks away. We're talking to other families on our block who go to the same school about walking together some days
Sep 8, 2026, 10:27 PM@gbargoud that’s what we did. it definitely helps build community.
when i first moved to portland, in 1993, they ran a regular column of 'free events.' in the local weekly.
around three years later, the column was discontinued.
@blogdiva @StillIRise1963 @gwynnion spaces are one part, but we need to allow teens to be teens in those spaces.
If they can’t use a space sans parental supervision, then why have it?
Sep 9, 2026, 3:05 AM@blogdiva Sometimes even the places where teenagers would want to spend money actively discourage teenagers spending any time there.
Sep 9, 2026, 4:19 AM
@blogdiva
Chicago used to be great at this, but I fear we have lost our way.
Sep 9, 2026, 6:06 AM