'Unsupervised' kids

Lirin

Forgetting about anything that could happen by actions of strangers, I wouldn't leave a child unsupervised simply at least from an accident... Who's there if they slip or fall?

I was woken up a few weeks ago by 6-7 year olds playing in the local playground unsupervised- at 5am.

silvercar

mikey72 wrote: »

The world isn't really like that. It's not an impulse decision, made on the spur on the moment by the fact the three year olds had no clothes on.

No woman, or man, walks into a park and decides to run off with two naked three year olds under their arms, while the rest of the group of children scream.

In 1988, in my local park, a twelve year old boy walked, in took the hand of a 2 year old and walked off with her. She had been playing in the park with her 9 year old sister and a group of other children. The parents were momentarily out of sight. The next day her body was found.

So don't expect children to scream and react the way adults would. Don't expect slightly older children to have the awareness to distinguish play from danger.

Imp

I completely agree with the OP that 3 year olds should not be left unsupervised in a park.

Got to dash, I left my 6 month old in the bath so I could read and answer this thread.

willow_loulou

An 8 year old is not old enough to look after a 3/4 year old IMO not ever. A group/saftey in numbers is I guess a better situation but personally Id have sat in eye shot.

I agree with you that it is wrong but far from shocking, here many kids are allowed to run almost ferrel whilst still in nappies (and often just in nappies!) I know the parents as you said couldnt see but I think they probably felt safe in familair surroundings leaving their children to their own devices. I personally didnt and would never expect a small group of such young children to look after each other but historically that has always happened. Whilst the group may have made the parents feel they were safe and to a certain extent they were safe, but what exactly would the children be able to do if something serious happened? Say the eldest fell and broke its arm it then falls to a much younger child to seek help.

There are many parenting styles, you and I feel a child should be a child and giving them that sort of responsibility so young is expecting them to be older than their years. Thats not wrong just a different to how you and I parent our kids x

yummymummy79

You wouldn't want to live on the council estate where I do then, where there are always groups of kids walking around on their own, at the park, shops, on the street, some aren't much more than 3 or 4. On one of the really hot days recently there was a groups of kids aged about 2-5 playing with water on the kerbside, all naked, no parents in sight although they may have been watching from the house. 5 year olds going into the chippy with a 2 year old sibling to buy their tea, hanging around outside the shops for ages etc, breaks my heart. Not stereotyping these areas; sure it happens in other places too.

I'm at the stage where I just let my 7 year old ride his scooter up and down our street on his own for a few minutes, can't imagine him going down to the shops or hanging around by himself anywhere.

moomoomama27

I wouldn't be concerned about the nakedness if the parents were around, but leaving a 3 or 4 yr old alone with an 8 yr old, IMO is totally irresponsible! My youngest is 6 I would never let him out of my sight in park!

peachyprice

mirrorimage0 wrote: »

im sorry but the world is a more dangerous place these days, yes we do hear about it more but there are so many more oppurtunites now as well which makes it easier, many more people which means more bad people. (as well as good i might add)

Really it isn't. There has been no significant increase in stranger child abduction, there has however been a substantial increase in parental child abduction due to the increase of low cost fares, but that's something else entirely.

Children are at a far higher risk of being killed by a car than ever being adbucted.

The media frenzy has painted all men as potential !!!!!philes, which is such a sad state of affairs when you now have men afraid to offer a kind word to children for fear of being accused, I'd hate to be a man in today's paranoid society.

The biggest threat for abuse still comes from family members, friends of the family, people in a position of trust eg teacher, priest etc., same as it always has. You only have to read the number of replies on here from people who were abused as children by people they should have been able to trust to realise that this is the case

Sweet_Pea_2

I agree with the OP, I would be shocked too, and am surprised more people are not shocked.

Firstly I would not expect a 7-8 to keep and eye on a younger sibling because a) they are too young and b) it's not their responsibility, it's mine and OH's. I would move the picnic so the playground was within sight of where I was sat.

Secondly the fact that the children were naked. I'm sure the chances of someone running off with said child are perhaps slight, but, it seems to me that they are a lot of wierdos out there and anyone could be walking past, take a pic of child on phone and that pic could be anywhere on the net within minutes. Thats what I would find alarming. The kids were only doing what kids do, this is why parents should have been watching them. I would have been mortified if my child came running over the hill towards me naked.

Thirdly, I think far too many people leave their kids to be watched over by others. So many mums get on a bus with a toddler or two and a baby and then either go upstairs and leave the little ones downstairs or sit at the back of the bus and leave the toddlers at the front. It's usually the older ladies sitting at the front of the bus that grab the toddler before it falls over when the bus stops sharply and the child was not holding on, mum doesn't even usually notice. So many groups of mums in the school playground are busily chatting unaware that someone else has had to pick their child up off the floor from where they have fallen.

Luciferswench

If you saw the children get naked and their siblings failed to tell their parents why didnt you yourself approach the mums and inform them?
You said the children didnt react to their siblings stripping but you did you told us but not their parents.

Myself i dont see it as a massive issue my youngest is always trying to take her clothes off she wont wear trouses, long sleeves or coats - makes for a nightmare when its cold and raining. But if i had witness youngsters stripping i would have gone over and made the parents aware of it.

mummyoftwomonkeys

I personally don't like children playing outside naked or partly clothed, I have posted about this before and was given a hard time - a neighbours child was playing in the street on her own at 7 at night in her knickers and most of the replies I had were along the lines of "what's the problem are you worried she might get cold?" My son who is 4 likes to strip off sometimes at home but I wouldn't dream of letting my kids do it outside, the truth is we don't live in a nice world no matter what we want to believe there are some sick people out there and I would do everything in my power to keep my kids safe and I am quite shocked at some peoples blas! attitude.