Free Range Children.
genevieve
Posts: 1,203
http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/
I have recently discovered this blogging site. I am a parent that wants thier kid to do the things I did when I was a child. Though we live outside of the city and she cant walk to the corner store by herself or even to her school, I want her to play outside by herself and be able to walk to her friends houses.
I do have friends though that are very afraid of thier kids being abducted, raped, killed and hurt. I feel like some of them hover way too much. And yet one of them has a child who broke his arm on a trampoline because she let too many kids on at a time. And too many big kids.
Am I crazy for wanting my daughter to feel comfortable playing by herself outside on our small acre of land. She knows not to go on the road. I do have neighbours that wont let thier kids be outside by themselves though.
Are we teaching our kids to be afraid to go out of the house?
I have recently discovered this blogging site. I am a parent that wants thier kid to do the things I did when I was a child. Though we live outside of the city and she cant walk to the corner store by herself or even to her school, I want her to play outside by herself and be able to walk to her friends houses.
I do have friends though that are very afraid of thier kids being abducted, raped, killed and hurt. I feel like some of them hover way too much. And yet one of them has a child who broke his arm on a trampoline because she let too many kids on at a time. And too many big kids.
Am I crazy for wanting my daughter to feel comfortable playing by herself outside on our small acre of land. She knows not to go on the road. I do have neighbours that wont let thier kids be outside by themselves though.
Are we teaching our kids to be afraid to go out of the house?
the person below me smells like cat pee and raisins...
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I have a beautiful green space 100 yards
from my house; playground, soccer pitch,
ball diamond, bball court.
My gf's 13 year old daughter refuses
to play there;
she fears abduction, murder, bullies, big dogs,
take your pick of (ir)rational fears.
We are taking the dirt-in-your-teeth,
grass-stained-blue-jeans,
tree-climbing instincts
away from the kids.
It sucks!
Cheers.
My boy is only 8 months, but we deliberately moved to a neighborhood with sidewalks and things that kids can walk to, so he is going to be free ranger.
Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
This is what I'm talking about. What is so different about "these days?" Stats prove it's all in media coverage and general paranoia. There's nothing more dangerous about being outside playing that there was 20 or 40 years ago.
Phila, PA 4/28/16; Phila, PA 4/29/16; Fenway Park 8/7/16; Fenway Park 9/2/18; Asbury Park 9/18/21; Camden 9/14/22;
Las Vegas 5/16/24; Las Vegas 5/18/24; Phila, PA 9/7/24; Phila, PA 9/9/24; Baltimore Arena 9/12/24
Tres Mtns - TLA 3/23/11; EV - Tower Theatre 6/25/11; Temple of the Dog - Tower Theatre 11/5/16
kids carry sticks, rocks, toads, raspberries, and bb guns or shotguns and rifles. kids always have knives and homemade weapons too.
example...
the tin lids cut off cans can be tooled into throwing stars
nobody kidnapped us... :twisted: :evil: :twisted:
i do remember the ole' man going after some dude who drove a red f150 pickup
this dude tried abducting me and my friend who walked with me to and from school... we were in 1st grade
freak-show would have been pumped full of lead if caught
dad called the police and told them what had happened on our walk home from school
as he was loading up his gun
this weirdo kept circling asking if we needed a ride... he asked a few times
hopefully he died soon after that day...
"Hear me, my chiefs!
I am tired; my heart is
sick and sad. From where
the sun stands I will fight
no more forever."
Chief Joseph - Nez Perce
i didn't say it was more or less dangerous ... i only say that is the question ... it is most definite that paranoia amongst parents is much higher ... whether that is based on reality is secondary to the fact that it exists ... so, in one hand it's sad if it exists because of some decrease in safety and secondly if there isn't such decrease, it's subsequently equally sad that we think there is ...
i have never had any qualms about allowing my children the freedom to sort out their own safety parameters. i also wonder where all the paedophiles were when i was growing up cause there sure as hell seems to be a lot of them around these days.. were they more sneakier or in the closet more or are we, as i suspect, freaking ourselves out to a degree that is unnecessary cause fear makes us easier to control??
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Oh...
nevermind
I really hope you are right about this... but I don't know. I grew up in the S.F. bay area in the 50's and it really did seem things sere a lot more safe then. We used to roam all over the place-- and that was good for us! My nephews, who I helped raise did too, but that was when we were living in rural Washington State in the 90's, so maybe it just depends are where you are.
You would be gone and your parents might not know EXACTLY where you were and you survived. We played outside all the time and it seems like kids would rather be inside playing video games etc.
When I was a kid I was outside all day and all the kids were too. We only had to throw on our shoes and walk out the front door to find all our freinds out there. I can to this day remember going to bed in the summer when I was younger than most pissed off all to hell cause it was bright out and I could hear all the kids playing street hockey and I was in bed. In fact it wasnt long after that that I was allowed to be out later. And our whole neighbourhood would sometimes play flashlight hide and go seek in the dark along all our front yards. We never had any issues.
Today my daughter helped me plant the rest of our flower seeds and then made homes for earthowrms while I mowed the lawn. I thought for a moment when I was done that she had gone inside cause I couldnt see her anywhere. Turns out she had made herself a picnic by her play structure with snacks from the cupboard and some stuffies. I mean jeeze shes only 5. And this is not that shes some super genius kid. She just would rather eat her snack outside on a blanket than in front of the TV. And I tell ya I leave our TV on. Its on all day. Its on kids progamming too. Cause I dont really trust the other channels. But she was outside until the sun was practically melting her.