we were talking about kids this eveining and about in our day we'd be out till late (at 10 +) palying footie, cricket, cycling etc etc.

And how nowardays parents mollycoddle their kids and they sit in front of the playstation, X-box, dvd, tv, computer and just become fat blobs.

The whole pedophile craze has hit kids hard. As far as I'm aware the occurences are no worse than 20 years ago but obviously the media hypes it up.

When I was 10 a couple tried to drag me into a car. they failed and I never let it effect me.

I see playing areas with no kiids nowardays. How sad.

Well I make my eldest spend time playing out.. the fresh air is good for him, but I dont let him roam far.
Hes ten nearly eleven and I dont let him off our road, not that I am really stern on rules and stuff but..
he's not as streetwise as the rest of his age group due to his medical problems and whenever I see kids his age roaming in groups they allways seem to be causing trouble, being cheeky etc.. so the best way to make sure he's not the one getting into trouble is keep him near to home where I can see.. Plus most of the play areas seem to have a good coating of doggy doodo. apart from the bolehills playarea have never stood in any there :gag:
Things do seem to be different these days when I was ten I spent hours and hours in the country working on the farms or at the stables. I suppose within a city/town there are more hazards than there were twenty years ago, that you dont really consider untill you become a parent

Robbie it is very sad that the playgrounds are empty and people feel the need to keep a closer watch on their kids,when i was a kid i lived at malin bridge so i was forever down the mousehole (if u know where that is) or up rivelin, the mousehole is a very quiet area but an attraction for kids cos we could do as we pleased down there and it would hurt no one,but not in a million years would i let my son down there now,i dont care if the papers are making us more paranoid,i have a mind of my own and i know the world is full of weird people,and i am not having my son killed or scarred for the rest of his life by some pervert.

Originally posted by deelightful3
i dont care if the papers are making us more paranoid,i have a mind of my own and i know the world is full of weird people,and i am not having my son killed or scarred for the rest of his life by some pervert.

But you obviously haven't a mind of your own :confused:

Is the world being full of weird people your own experience or what you perceive from readig the tabloid press ?

Kids need a little adventure in their lives if they're not to grow up paranoid too. Obviously there is a risk from predatory adults and even other kids, but you should really be encouraging him to get out and about with a friend or in a small group. There generally is safety in numbers.

but the world used to have more kids in it. Therefore there was a safety in numbers element to playing out. And everybody in the street knew each other, so you knew that somebody had their eye on your kids. And adults had the authority to speak to kids, so there was none of this 'none of my business, not interested'-ness that goes on these days.

And traffic is a big problem. We used to play ball games in the street, you could see for a safe distance down a road, coz there were no parked cars.

The council didn't get sued everytime somebody fell off a swing either :suspect:

It does make me laugh at work when people complain to the security guards that kids are playing on their bikes or skateboards in the precinct outside, and get the little blighters moved on. In the next breath they're getting self-righteous about kids not getting enough exercise. :confused:

Where I live it's just not safe for little kids to play out alone, so they don't. There's too much traffic, and they don't even have decent sized gardens to play in. Most people work so they also seem to have very little time to take the kids out for a supervised game or a walk.

Bear in mind that some kids don't like playing out, too. They might want to stop at home and read, or their mates might live a long way off.

my son does get plenty of exercise he has been with a junior league football team for 3 years now so he gets to train thursday nites plays the game on a sunday and now also goes to sheff weds training ground for an hour on a monday, and the other nites weather permitting he is out in the garden kicking a ball about,so i know while he is doing all this he is safe,it may cost money for him to do all this but at least i have peace of mind.

I think many parents these days are totally lacking in common sense children need to climb trees, have mucky faces and a den in the woods.

All this restriction to the house is going to lead to obesity and other health problems and lack of ability to cope with the real world.

Once again the overblown news panicking gullable idiots into thinking there are kiddyfiddlers on every corner, when they are statistically more likely to be friends and family members.

I hate to think about what todays kids are going to turn out like. How are they meant to learn independence or anything about life when they aren't let out of the door/earshot?

Be interesting to see some stats where kids are given a choice between a bike/skateboard/football v's console/PC.

Although I think an increase in perceived/real threats to kids has played a part in their lack of participation in outside pusuits, I think the appeal of electronic entertainment (and the industry's aggressive marketing policy) over the last 10 years has had a greater effect in turning them away from 'playing out'.

Originally posted by Ginner
Be interesting to see some stats where kids are given a choice between a bike/skateboard/football v's console/PC.

Although I think an increase in perceived/real threats to kids has played a part in their lack of participation in outside pusuits, I think the appeal of electronic entertainment (and the industry's aggressive marketing policy) over the last 10 years has had a greater effect in turning them away from 'playing out'.

it'd be more interesting to see how many parents make a decision to limit the amount of time children can spend on these devices.

Falling out of trees and breaking the odd limb here and there is all part of growing up, it teaches you about risks and consequences.

Originally posted by Cyclone
it'd be more interesting to see how many parents make a decision to limit the amount of time children can spend on these devices.

Falling out of trees and breaking the odd limb here and there is all part of growing up, it teaches you about risks and consequences.

Nah, my statistical ponderance is far more interesting than yours... ;)

Doesn't choosing the right type of shoot 'em up weapon also teach you about risks and consequences? And without the actual pain?

And if you open a window the kids can still get some fresh air....

Originally posted by Ginner
And if you open a window the kids can still get some fresh air....

Not really.
Take your kids up to houndkirk moor and look down upon the polluted orange smog glow over the city and you will see what the difference between fresh air and city air is.

Even better go up to scotland for a few days. The air in Glasgow is like pure oxygen compared to the muck we breethe here, Nevermind further up.

We get many complaints on here from people who grumble about kids hanging about in groups, and assume they are up to no good. I suppose its refreshing to hear from someone who would like to see more kids out and about. Obviously, its up to the individual family, but the most important thing is that you know where your kids are and what they are doing. It would be nice to see more provision for kids outdoor activities in the areas they are needed most.

My lad, now 23, used to be out of an evening playing footie (or cricket). He got told off quite a few times for playing football near other peoples homes, but fortunately it didnt put him off. One woman used to complain loudly on the bus in my earshot about "young lads playing football" on the road near her flat. When my lad and his mates had grown up, she switched to complaining about the lads hanging about around the shops! Not sure what some people expect them to do ...