Kids on street

skyrocket

I completely agree!
My son is 8 now but I don't let him play out on the front, he plays in the back garden where I can see him.
Its not like when I was a kid any more sadly.
It only takes a second for a child to get snatched or knocked down and no-one knows who is living on your street any more.
I am over protective but I don't care.
I onnly have two children and they are irreplaceable.
I invite their friends over to play or we take them out and do stuff with them.
My son is Dyspraxic and has about as much road-sense as my goldfish so I couldnt let him out on our road any way.

Scarlett1 wrote: »

I dont think there is any area that is safe enough to not have anything happen to a child, my daughter is 6 and there is no way I would let her play outside, cars use the road to come down and turn around when they have been to tesco express and recently one of my neighbours had their brick wall knocked down by a van reversing up the kerb, goodness knows what would have happened if a child had been riding their bike there *shudders*

slscarborough

My son was allowed out at 6 but only on the green out the front and only if his friends older brother was with him. It was another year or so before he was allowed out without the older brother.

inkie

I have only just started to allow my 2 (7 and 10) out down the street - but on the strict instructions that they stay together, and they have walkie talkies with them. I despair when I am driving about and see youngsters who seem little more than toddlers out on there own.

skintas_2

one neighbour keeps goin on about looking out for each other, the hyprocrite, never does it for no one. few weeks ago i had to go out early asked her to have my son til 915 to 9 30pm til a friend picker him up from her house. my son got out her house and came back to my house. luckily i came back quickly ofr something. the dozy mare didnt realise till 10.30pm that he gone missing.

Becles

Bagpuss1973 wrote: »

I do not have children but I cannot imagine allowing the play outside on their on at 4 years old! It's not the 1940's you know when everyone was around and looking out for everyone else.

Dunno what the decade has to do with anything

I think it's down to individual parents and how they feel about letting their children play out, based on the risks around their home.

LJW_2

What a popular thread! I'm a social worker and my 11 year old son has only just been allowed to walk to the shop on his own! and this is because he will be attending secondary school in Sept and has to have some degree of independence. He could have played out on our avenue since the age of 9 but the children there enjoy throwing stones at cars, swearing and wrecking property in the avenue so my son was very reluctant to become friends with them.

I have now decided to move to a new area to allow him to play out with other children as I feel he is missing out on childhood experiences. There is no way I would have allowed him to play out any younger than 9 but do agree it depends on where you live and how they are supervised.

Rachie_B

LJW wrote: »

What a popular thread! I'm a social worker and my 11 year old son has only just been allowed to walk to the shop on his own! and this is because he will be attending secondary school in Sept and has to have some degree of independence. He could have played out on our avenue since the age of 9 but the children there enjoy throwing stones at cars, swearing and wrecking property in the avenue so my son was very reluctant to become friends with them.
I have now decided to move to a new area to allow him to play out with other children as I feel he is missing out on childhood experiences. There is no way I would have allowed him to play out any younger than 9 but do agree it depends on where you live and how they are supervised.

I dont blame you for wanting to move !! sounds like a erm lurvely area :eek:

I do agree it all depends on the other children living nearby,the traffic situation etc

helenhugs

It's hard to know what to do. when my oldest was younger I didn't let him out anywhere other than the garden but now I let my 3,4, & 5 year old out the front happily. They aren't allowed around any corners & we have a square out the front where they can safely play without worries about cars, you have to go down an alley to get to the carparks.
So at all times I should be able to step out the front door & see them immediately.
If I cant (which has happened once) then they are immediately sent to their rooms & not allowed out for a week, theres my 4 out the front the neighbours little boy, a little boy across the road & another 3 boys who recently moved in, so theres always someone ready to tell me where they have gone but it won't be further than 2 steps down the alley.

none of them would go off without asking me first. Maybe I've been too untrusting telling them to be careful of strangers but it's helped them understand why mummy worries. only the 9year old is allowed out on his own & even then he is still only allowed out the front square. I've been trying to let the cotton wool go & allowed him to the shop on his own but i sat watching my clock & looking out for him.
Trust your instincts. If you don't feel comfortable letting your children out then keep them in. they are too precious.
hugs
Helen

seven-day-weekend

I think 4 or even 6 is far too young to play out unsupervised even if the road is quiet.

At about 7, my son was allowed to go to his friend's house (about fifteen terraced houses away and no roads to cross) on his own, but I used to watch him until his friend's mum had waved at me to say she had let him in, and she did the same for her son, and we both did the same when sending them back home again. Once in, they played in the house/back garden.

At about ten, I started letting him come home from school with a friend, they only had one road to cross and that had a lollipop lady (me! ) and then he would stay at his friend's house until I collected him.

This was twenty years ago!

(Last year,when he was 26, I was crossing the road with him and went into 'mummy' mode and held his hand while we crossed!:o :eek: )

Rachie_B

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

I think 4 or even 6 is far too young to play out unsupervised even if the road is quiet.

At about 7, my son was allowed to go to his friend's house (about fifteen terraced houses away and no roads to cross) on his own, but I used to watch him until his friend's mum had waved at me to say she had let him in, and she did the same for her son, and we both did the same when sending them back home again. Once in, they played in the house/back garden.

At about ten, I started letting him come home from school with a friend, they only had one road to cross and that had a lollipop lady (me! ) and then he would stay at his friend's house until I collected him.

This was twenty years ago!

(Last year,when he was 26, I was crossing the road with him and went into 'mummy' mode and held his hand while we crossed!:o :eek: )

waaaaaaaaaaah pmsl :rotfl: