--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A recent article about the return of…" description: "\"“A recent article about the return of wildlife to suburbia described snow-covered yards in which the footprints of animals are abundant and those of ch..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/rebecca-solnit-569_children_a-recent-article-about-the-return-of-wil_1811430.jpg" --- # A recent article about the return of wildlife to suburbia… ![“A recent article about the return of wildlife to suburbia described snow-covered yards in which the footprints of animals are abundant and those of children are entirely absent. As far as the animals are concerned, the suburbs are an abandoned landscape, and so they roam with confidence. Children…” quote by Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/rebecca-solnit-569_children_a-recent-article-about-the-return-of-wil_1811430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/rebecca-solnit-569_children_a-recent-article-about-the-return-of-wil_1811430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/078/rebecca-solnit-569_children_a-recent-article-about-the-return-of-wil_1811430.jpg) > ““A recent article about the return of wildlife to suburbia described snow-covered yards in which the footprints of animals are abundant and those of children are entirely absent. As far as the animals are concerned, the suburbs are an abandoned landscape, and so they roam with confidence. Children seldom roam, even in the safest places. Because of their parents’ fear of the monstrous things that might happen (and do happen, but rarely), the wonderful things that happen as a matter of course are stripped away from them. For me, childhood roaming was what developed self-reliance, a sense of direction and adventure, imagination, a will to explore, to be able to get a little lost and then figure out the way back. I wonder what will come of placing this generation under house arrest.”” [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Urban wildlife returning shows how fear limits children’s freedom, stifling growth and imagination. **In simple terms:** Fear keeps kids indoors, limiting adventure and self‑reliance. Key Takeaway Encourage safe, independent play outdoors. Themes childhood freedom urban nature parental fear imagination Mood reflective concerned Type observational critical When to use this quote - family outings - neighborhood exploration - school field trips - community parks Key Concepts environmental psychology risk perception developmental growth Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance safety with freedom for children? - What spaces can be made safe for adventurous play? A Different Perspective Parents may overprotect, preventing beneficial risk‑taking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Away Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-childhood-2117920/) [Childhood Roaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood-roaming-2117918/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Children Seldom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children-seldom-740363/) [House arrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-arrest/) [Suburbia Described](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suburbia-described-2117921/) [Wildlife Suburbia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wildlife-suburbia-2117919/) [Wonderful things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonderful-things/) ## Related quotes > [For me, childhood roaming was what developed self-reliance, a sense of direction and adventure, imagination, a will to explore, to be able to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/for-me-childhood-roaming-was-what-developed-self-reliance-a-sense-of/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [That said, let me add that Joan and I never want him to be a child actor. We both feel that it takes away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-hickman/that-said-let-me-add-that-joan-and-i-never-want-him-to-be-a-child/) [Dwayne Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-hickman/) > [I never shy away from my childhood and where I was raised because it made me who I am today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-yarde/i-never-shy-away-from-my-childhood-and-where-i-was-raised-because-it/) [Anthony Yarde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-yarde/) > [“That thing the nature of which is totally unknown to you is usually what you need to find, and finding it is a matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/that-thing-the-nature-of-which-is-totally-unknown-to-you-is-usually/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [The mischief of children is seldom actuated by malice; that of grown-up people always is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-rivarol/the-mischief-of-children-is-seldom-actuated-by-malice-that-of-grown/) [Antoine Rivarol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-rivarol/) > [What troubles me most about my lovely country is that its children are seldom taught that American freedom will vanish, if, when they grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/what-troubles-me-most-about-my-lovely-country-is-that-its-children/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Children seldom have a proper sense of their own tragedy, discounting and keeping hidden the true horrors of their short lives, humbly imagining real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-hazzard/children-seldom-have-a-proper-sense-of-their-own-tragedy-discounting/) [Shirley Hazzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-hazzard/) > [“Children seldom are able to realize that death will come to them personally. 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Eventually, one is grateful for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-chesler/it-is-impossible-for-a-westerner-to-imagine-the-deadening-torpor-of-a/) [Phyllis Chesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-chesler/) > [I've been jailed once, put in police lock-up twice, and was under house arrest twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asma-jahangir/i-ve-been-jailed-once-put-in-police-lock-up-twice-and-was-under-house/) [Asma Jahangir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asma-jahangir/) > [“Well, as Hannah Arendt famously said, there can be a banal aspect to evil. In other words, it doesn't present always. I mean, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/well-as-hannah-arendt-famously-said-there-can-be-a-banal-aspect-to/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [During the period of house arrest, I had an electronic manacle around my leg for 24 hours a day, and for someone who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-assange/during-the-period-of-house-arrest-i-had-an-electronic-manacle-around/) [Julian Assange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-assange/) ## More by Rebecca Solnit > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. 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It’s for all of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/marriage-equality-is-a-threat-to-inequality-it-s-a-boon-to-everyone/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Mountaineering is always spoken of as though summiting is conquest, but as you get higher, the world gets bigger, and you feel smaller in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/mountaineering-is-always-spoken-of-as-though-summiting-is-conquest/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“A procession is a participants' journey, while a parade is a performance with an audience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-procession-is-a-participants-journey-while-a-parade-is-a/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Explore all 469 Rebecca Solnit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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Children seldom roam, even in the safest places. Because of their parents’ fear of the monstrous things that might happen (and do happen, but rarely), the wonderful things that happen as a matter of course are stripped away from them. For me, childhood roaming was what developed self-reliance, a sense of direction and adventure, imagination, a will to explore, to be able to get a little lost and then figure out the way back. 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