What age to play out

[Halibut 12]

whats wrong with worrying bout our kids safety??????????

 

Nothing, but there's such a thing as overdoing it - and I think a great many parents these days do overdo it.

[rachelfinlay 10]

Nothing, but there's such a thing as overdoing it - and I think a great many parents these days do overdo it.

 

well yes your right and i am one of those ones that over do it. but with the way of the world today with so many nasty horrid people all around us we have to protect our children

[kimismum 10]

i personally think 3 years old is too young for a child to be out without direct supervision, still babys to me at that age, he cant be trusted at that age not to wander, and however confident you are that he is sensible there is always a chance like someone else said of a moped or older kids on bikes whizzing past, i worry about them getting knocked over accidentally. what area do u live?

[Tess 10]

In my opinion three is far too young to be playing out, regardless of who with. Unless it was a teenage or adult member of my family my brother would not be allowed out and he is 7 this year.

[Halibut 12]

In my opinion three is far too young to be playing out, regardless of who with. Unless it was a teenage or adult member of my family my brother would not be allowed out and he is 7 this year.

 

Unless he has a learning difficulty or is otherwise vulnerable that strikes me as being absurdly over-cautious.

[mummysaz21 10]

my lil man watches for cars never runs off and stays on the grass bt however is watched by myself but im geting the general feling this is wrong?

[sezbetz 10]

We live on a very quiet cul de sac and my eldest was not allowed out on her own until the age of 6 when she was old enough to have a little road sense and to 'try' and obey the rules of which house not to go passed (she was not allowed to the end of the road as it gets busy) Her younger sister was also 6 but then the third one having two older sisters out there was allowed out at 4 if her big sisters were out, That said she is only allowed a few houses up - is not allowed out alone and they all have to tell me if they are going in someones back garden so i know where to find them. I would not have trusted any of mine at 3 years old to be out alone even on my quiet road as in my opinion 3 is just far too young to be unsupervised by an adult and I am sure that even some 4 and 5 year olds could not be trusted. It will depend very much on the child but I doubt there are many three year olds that would have the road sense to be out on thier own. The garden is a much better place for them in my opinion

 

Just a quick edit to say that my eldest has always been very sensible and 'never ran off' until one day decided to give it a go (at the age of about three) and had she not been stopped my a passer by would have gone accross road without looking. All happened so quickly - a three year old doesnt understand the dangers. I am all for giving kids independance - my now 11 year old is allowed to walk to the local shop and park with a friend etc - I do not wrap them in cotton wool but if you are inside watching tv you cannot be supervising a three year old at the same time and it takes a second for things to go wrong.

Edited July 25, 2011 by sezbetz

[bagger 10]

my lil man watches for cars never runs off and stays on the grass bt however is watched by myself but im geting the general feling this is wrong?

If he is being watched by you at all times then I can't see what you're going wrong. Trust your own instinct.

 

My daughter is just 8 and plays out on the front now and again. On a grassy area away from the road, but our front door stays open and I keep a close eye on her.

There are those who say that kids are wrapped up in cotton wool nowadays and that the world is no more dangerous than it was 30 years ago. I disagree.

True, there are no more paedophiles around now than there ever was but our society has a huge drink and drugs problem that it didn't have when I was a kid. And while binge drinkers and drug addicts don't target children as such their behaviour is/can be aggressive and unpredictable.

[Sid Umpley 10]

surely its also got to do with influences as well.

 

do you want your 3 yr old outside of earshot where he/she can learn to swear, listen to older kids talking about drugs or sex etc?

[mummysaz21 10]

he learns that from being in garden with people on this road unfortunatly

surely its also got to do with influences as well.

 

do you want your 3 yr old outside of earshot where he/she can learn to swear, listen to older kids talking about drugs or sex etc?

[Tess 10]

Unless he has a learning difficulty or is otherwise vulnerable that strikes me as being absurdly over-cautious.

 

In what way though? I'd let him play at the front of the house, but no way would he be going anywhere else. I stand by the fact I think 3 is far too young though. Like everyone else has said, i'm also worried about cars and motorbikes racing around, because although Alfie does have common sense it definitely lacks when he is trying to show off!

[mummysaz21 10]

but hes not alone i watch him,am i stil wrong?

In what way though? I'd let him play at the front of the house, but no way would he be going anywhere else. I stand by the fact I think 3 is far too young though. Like everyone else has said, i'm also worried about cars and motorbikes racing around, because although Alfie does have common sense it definitely lacks when he is trying to show off!