It has been reported that parents are too scared to let their children play outside; are they over-reacting?
The children have gone back to school now after the long summer break, but we still have a good month’s worth of light evenings were children could play outside if they are allowed.
When I was a girl, my sisters and I would play outside with our friends when the weather was fine,we lived on a housing estate so were in a safe environment.
Our favourite pastime was a game we made up ourselves;which we called block 1,2,3, it was a take on hide- n- seek. There were about 12 of us, the only real issue was that my dad who was (and still is)proud of his garden wasn’t keen when we all ran across his front lawn!
My husband tells me that he and his siblings were ‘kicked out’ of the house in the morning and didn’t come home until evening.
I think that the reasons parents are afraid to let their children out to play is the fear that something will happen to them or someone taking them away.
When I was growing up we didn’t hear of such incidents as much as we do now:the internet tells us news from all around the world: good and bad.
A police officer has said that the greatest danger to children playing outside is being knocked over. Read my post on road safety here
When my boys were young I let them play on their bikes on the pavement outside my house, we lived on a quiet road so they were safe.
The neighbours children did the same and all the adults kept an eye on the children from our windows.
When we moved to another house and my son’s were older we let them do a similar thing, they were allowed to ride as far as the lamppost with the neighbour’s children with all the adults looking out at them.
Going back to my childhood; my friend and I liked to make what we called perfume. It was actually rose petals ( that we collected from everyone’s gardens along with a few earwigs) soaked in water.
Back then we didn’t have the games consoles and i pads that children have now so we found playing indoors boring.
Children also need to learn about stranger danger before being permitted to play outside. Read my post here
I would be interested to hear if parents let their children play outside, please share any thoughts.
As always questions and comments are welcome.
Until next time.
Karen
x
I had almost the exact same childhood as yourself. Grew up on a housing estate and we were able to play away from the roads, and yep, we made the same ‘perfume.’ It seems to me that modern housing estates aren’t built with families in mind. There’s no where safe for children to play anymore the roads are like rat runs with cars zooming up and down with little thought for kids on bikes, or crossing.
I think people are scared to let the kids play as we did, I don’t think it is anymore dangerous than it ever has been, but you’re right, it gets reported more now.
#KCACOLS
It’s a shame, isn’t it Lisa,? that children won’t have the sense of achievement that we had from making our own perfume!
I am a total advocate of outdoor play. I think our 30 acre farm is actually a lovely safe way for children to experience that freedom of nature and outdoor play, hopefully many keep it up after a holiday with us #GlobalBlogging
Your farm sounds idyllic
Your childhood sounds similar to mine – outside all day playing block and making rose perfume haha. I’m not sure it’s any less safe now, we just hear about more now. Having said that, if I had kids, I don’t know how I’d feel about it.
Debbie
Thanks, Debbie I guess we must be of a similar age group
We live very rural, so the concern is not as great, but I do have a different feeling about the safety of the world with my grandkids than I had with my own children.
I am lucky where i live is a lot of children playing outdoors. I think it is not as bad as people make out, they just seem more scared now which is a shame X #twinklytuesday
Just popping back with #StayClassyMama. Have a good weekend xx
Thanks and you
I must admit, I am a little scared of leaving E out. Times have changed unfortunately. I have very little trust in others these days #KCACOLS
Parents are more afraid now but parents are also not willing to go out with their kids either. I was raised in a very strict home. I was allowed outside but wasn’t allowed outside the front yard. As I got older I was allowed to go to the local park or a friend’s house but only as long as my aunt could reach me. Looking back I completely understand. When my boys were small I knew they needed outside play. I live in an apartment complex surrounded by college students. Most of the young people mind their own business and aren’t trouble makers so I am fortunate. Yet, I wouldn’t let them play outside alone. I went out with them though and it made us closer. I saw that as bonding family time for us and I enjoyed it as much as they did. I took them to mommy groups and playgrounds and such. But it does seem to be scarier times we are living in, even if it is just in all of our heads. #GlobalBlogging
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences, Michelle
My daughters are not at the point yet where they would want to play outside because they are too young but I have to be honest when the time comes I will be very reluctant to let them go. And I was that child too who was sent out by her mum in the mornings during the summer to play and my sister and I didn’t come back until it was time for dinner. It is very, very changed times and yes we are definitely more fearful than our own parents were. I just don’t know how to build up enough trust to let them out unsupervised and it is very sad. A tough one…#bloggerclubuk
Back from #KCACOLS
We’re a fan of outdoor play here, my boys are only aged 5 years and under so it’s never unsupervised. We attend ‘Wildlings’ a self led outdoor play group hosted by our local Wildlife Trust. Although I appreciate ALL modern day worries, I also think it’s important that children learn to manage risk…if you take a look at my Instagram you’ll find a photo of when my eldest nearly gave me a heart attack by climbing up so very high rocks. I’m not so sure how I’ll feel about them playing out unsupervised in the street when they’re older though…I used to, I had to be home before the streetlights came on and if I was over at a friend’s I had to phone home and give 3 rings to let mum know I was walking home. I also used to make ‘perfume’ from petals. #KidsandKreativity
We played outside all the time when I was little, but it’s unusual to see children playing out that much where we live now. There seem to be a lot more play dates at people’s houses nowadays instead. I think it’s a real shame, as some of my best childhood memories are from playing outside and running around with friends. I don’t know if it’s really more dangerous nowadays, or if we’re afraid to let them out because we hear more about children going missing or being abducted than we did when I was a child. #kcacols
My son wants to play on his bike in the road and I’m terrified. I used to play outside all the time when I was a kid but I feel it is less safe now than back then. Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama
I wouldn’t let my daughter play outside on her own other than in the garden at the moment but she is still very young. I have to admit that the thought of allowing her to play outside on her own does make me nervous – we live near a busy main road with a lot of HGV traffic which is my main concern. I remember playing outside as a child and spending most of the day outside with friends, only coming home for meals. The world did seem a safer place then. #KidsandKreativity
I can’t really comment as my daughter has just turned five and is my only child. I think if she has an older sibling then I would probably feel comfortable allowing them to play outside. When the time is right, I think I could trust my daughter on her own. Thank you so much for linking up with #kcacols and I hope to see you next time!
Ah rose petal perfume, I remember it well!! It never really worked though did it? Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo
No, it never worked, except in our young minds!
I can understand the concerns about kids playing outside unsupervised. We live very remotely so it isn’t as big a concern for us, but then my two and still two young to be unsupervised at the moment. Thanks again for linking up with #KidsandKreativity
This is a tough one for me. I too played out all the time as a child but I also remember some incredibly dangerous situations we got ourselves in and looking back we were very lucky. Kids are reckless and often don’t understand how dangerous something or someone is. I’m not sure I would be comfortable giving my kids the freedom. However my kids are very young so who knows when they are older. We are lucky to have a nice park near us which is very diffrent to the burnt out buildings and wastegrounds I played on as a child. #KCACOLS
I don’t let my son play out alone yet as he’s only 3, but once he’s a little older I will because I feel like we live in a safe enough neighbourhood. Plus he’s very good at sticking to boundaries so I know I could trust him to stay close by.
Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next time
I have 4 kids, aged 13 down to 6, and they’ve always been allowed to play outside. They’ve learnt to look out for each other and have slowly expanded their roaming range. It’s great now seeing them so confident but also aware of the risks posed by traffic especially.
#Adventurecalling
I played out on the street when I was a kid, (and made the perfume). It was a cul-de-sac with many of the parents having children, so those that did have cars (and a few, ours included did not have a car) drove very carefully as they came down the road.
These days, roads are much busier. Most families in our area own two cars, with some having more if older children live with them. So in that respect, roads are definitely busier and not as safe. Teaching road safety is imperative and can help.
I think maybe in some respects, in can depend where you live and other factors regarding your area you need to consider. Times do change. But I am in total agreement that we should be creating opportunities for our kids to get outside.
Thanks for saying hello at #AdventureCalling
My childhood was great, I grew up in a village and was always playing out with the neighbours. We live in a town now so it’s a bit trickier with our children, and I agree that the biggest concern is the traffic. I hope that my boys get to enjoy a childhood outdoors, but now I’m a parent I can understand some of the fears. I just hope we bring the boys up well enough to be able to use their own judgment and stay safe. Thanks for sharing #AdventureCalling