Where Will the Children Play?

I fear a little for Kyiv. From my first day here I noted how few children are seen on the streets and in public. Olga once commented to me that Kyiv was no place for children. I have previously commented on how this is a city for the few with cars, not for the many on foot. Though I have traveled on the Metro many times each day, and probably seen ten thousand fellow commuters or more, I have seen only three children--two toddlers, and one infant asleep in a baby carrier. This appears to be the city of the University student, of the worker, of the professional, of the party-goer, of the entrepreneur, of the fashion model, but not of the child. I imagine that outside the City center there are many children living happy lives in happy homes and growing into beautiful young people. Among the most touching things I have seen in my few days in Kyiv are the parks with playgrounds, where each evening a very few parents can be seen playing with their children in the snow, running and laughing, or throwing snowballs playfully. I fear a little for Kyiv. There ought to be children on streets that are safe. This all brings to mind the words of a song I very much liked in high school:

I know we've come a long way,

We're changing from day to day,

But tell me, where will the children play?