Maybe it was always the case and I just didn't see it, but I have to wonder at what point in civilzation did it become OK for parents to let their children fish coins out of fountains?

And not just pull a few pennies out of the edge in easy reach, but just plow into it, wading around and picking out quarters?

I've walked by this fountain outside a hospital for weeks now, and on numereous occasions seen kids just rifling through it.

Is it like, "Hey, what the hell, dad's in the emergency room cut up from an alcohol-induced knife fight anyway, so let Junior start his life on the margin scavanging right away"?

Or maybe it's always been this way and I've never paid enough attention to see the way things really are.