Playing out

[Urchin]

Mason is playing out properly for the first time right now.
He was 7 on Monday and I think its time to give him a bit of independence.
We are lucky we live in a house on a fairly quiet road, and our house is set far back from the road with a big patch of grass in front.
2 girls from his school (in the year above) have been calling his name outside LOL so I've let him go and play on the grass.
One of them lives about 20 houses down the road so I have said to Mason to introduce me to her mum on Monday at school so we can see about playing round her house and round here over the summer hols

it feels weird, I'd better go and look out the window cos I told him to stay where I could see him, poor brody doesn't understand why he can't go out too

 

[lea m]

Its so hard isnt it when one wants to go out and the other is just to young! My lads asked me if they could go play at my aunts (just across the road and round a bend) so I said yes and took them across the road etc but Lucy was so upset she couldnt go! But she was just 4 at the time and I had to try and explain she was too young !
Your lucky to live set back from the road! People treat our little crescent as a rally course Im sure so mine cant go out the gate unless they go into a neighbours garden etc!
My OH said when he was a kid in Salford they used to close the roads in the day time hours so kids could play safe! If only they would now hey!!??

 

[lisa&alex]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&utm_c ... directions

this is our village its tiny.. we let charl play in the street and down the park which is behind our street in a close no traffic so its safe.. shes very road aware and comes back to the house often to show me flowers she has collected etc she knows if anyone says do you want some sweets run straight home.. if someone picks you up and they are a stranger scram and kick them in the balls scream and shout..or if anyone says come into my house or car come straight home i dont want to frighten her but i want her to be aware she cant do everything with it being safe.

 

[MissSara]

I find myself sat in the window all the time that Harrison is playing out.
We live on a quiet street with a huge circle of grass in front of the house and he knows he is only allowed on there and no where else, but even though i know that he's playing with about 7 friends and all their mums are also watching out of their windows i still panic if i'm not near the window.

I'm starting to stay away for longer periods of time now, i know he is a very sensible boy and with the 6 weeks hols and new baby on the way i can't spend ALL my day sat at the window, its just soooooo hard to let him grow up.

 

[Squiglet]

I don't let Tia out on her own. Shes not old enough imo... She knows her green cross code, but she really doesn't understand the concept of car's hitting you means dead. So she doesn't take on the responsibility when crossing the road, and tends to not really "look" iykwim. As for someone taking Tia I know that this area has lower rates of paedophilia... but Sarah Payne got abducted in broad daylight while playing with her siblings in a nice quiet area of the UK, in the country/field.... and if that can happen it can happen anywhere/anytime and no where is more "safe" than another... at the moment I know Tia isn't big enough to defend herself against a determined child snatcher and I think for now, she's safer to have mummy take her places. When she starts high school she will have to go out on her own, but she will be 12 years old by then.

 

[Urchin]

We live on a quiet street with a huge circle of grass in front of the house and he knows he is only allowed on there and no where else,

that sounds exactly like what we have here, and thats my rule too!

 

[lisa&alex]

theres a family up here that has 4 kids.. the mum is younger than me.. and the kids are 6,4,3&2 and she lets the 6,4&3 out on the main road..(which ist that busy) but its busy and fast enough for a 3 year old to get squashed..the 6 year old has been let out since he was 3 to..i dont agree with that..

charlottes only been allowed out since just before teds was born.. and that was only in the st.. im slowly letting the apron strings looser..she was only allowed to play jsut outside the gate before lol.. now shes allowed down the park if she has a friend with her..which tbh isnt very often.. they usually play with their dolls in the front yard..
the commuity is very close knit and the kiddies all look out for each other.

i think you have to be safe.. and inform your kids that not everythng in life is safe to do.. but you have to let them be a little independant.. god if you look back at when you were a kid i bet you could tell some stories.. when i was charlottes age i used to get up to a right load.. mum caught me and my cousin up a massive tree lol.. we were looking for honey.. apparently lol..

 

[x-kirsty-x]

I've been letting Josh play out in our street since he turned 5 but only cos it's really quiet where we live and there's no traffic at the back of our house. He knows not to go further than 4 houses away and I check on him every 2 minutes.

He knows all the neighbours and most of the people who live next to us have kids too and they all play out together. Josh is a sensible kid anyway but luckily quite a few of the others are older than him so they keep him right.

I'd love to keep him in with me all the time cos I hate the thought of something happening to him, but he loves being outdoors with his friends and I don't think it would be fair to stop him doing that.

He usually plays out as soon as he gets home from school then he comes in for the night at about 5pm

 

[CH0C0H0LIC]

I have a 10yo and he didn't start playing out til aged 9y because I couldn't trust him to stay safe - he knows stranger danger in theory but not in practise - he will start up conversations with THEM first (if they have a dog/bike/child/skateboard etc).

He is also an easy target for bullies and gets picked on frequently, due to poor social development due to learning disabilities and I often have to retrieve his bike or scooter from some little brat who borrows it then won't give it back!

I'm a bit over-protective with him I will admit so if it wasn't for my OH letting him go out and making him a bit more independent he'd still be driving me mad in the house - I'm much better now and don't walk out to the pavement as much as I used to!!

Sarah xxx

 

[lea m]

I don't let Tia out on her own. Shes not old enough imo... She knows her green cross code, but she really doesn't understand the concept of car's hitting you means dead. So she doesn't take on the responsibility when crossing the road, and tends to not really "look" iykwim. As for someone taking Tia I know that this area has lower rates of paedophilia... but Sarah Payne got abducted in broad daylight while playing with her siblings in a nice quiet area of the UK, in the country/field.... and if that can happen it can happen anywhere/anytime and no where is more "safe" than another... at the moment I know Tia isn't big enough to defend herself against a determined child snatcher and I think for now, she's safer to have mummy take her places. When she starts high school she will have to go out on her own, but she will be 12 years old by then.

Im exactly the same as you! In fact, Im worried about them starting high school as I know Joseph for the first year, will have to go alone! My sis thinks Im over protective because she lets her dd play out and about and they are the same age! Well her DD has been knocked down twice!!! Luckily each time has been a small bump and she has been fine! I know my son isnt responsible enough yet so why would I let him just because theres others who do!? And as for paedophiles! You can never know who they are! So I prefer to keep the kids in the garden!

 

[Urchin]

theres a family up here that has 4 kids.. the mum is younger than me.. and the kids are 6,4,3&2 and she lets the 6,4&3 out on the main road..(which ist that busy) but its busy and fast enough for a 3 year old to get squashed..the 6 year old has been let out since he was 3 to..i dont agree with that..

Oh god no, I hate seeing that, people seem to think cos there is an older sibling they can let the little ones out too.
Mason has just turned 7 and it's the summer hols so that's why I decided to give him a little independence.
Brody hates it though... he looks out the window and doesn't understand but I just have to entertain him with something else.
I also have his trike so I will put Riley in the sling and take him out there and teach him how to pedal it

 

[lisa&alex]

awh poor brody lol.. as the weathers nice me and teds often sit out the front on a blanket.. if the suns not to strong the sun is on the front garden after 12.. so its nice to sit out there. shes asked if her 2 friends can have a barbie picnic tonight..lol.. i actualy feel really sorry for one of her friends. shes a right pain in the backside.. but her mother neglects her a bit.. shes only just turned 4.. and she goes everywhere.. infact as an example her mum was late for school again yesterday as i was pulling up in my car after dropping charl off.. she was shouting at the little girl run up top road and tell the bus to wait..and then carried on shouting at the father to give ehrmoney and all i caould hear was him shouting smack head at ehr (top road is the main road in the village..) and its not safe for a child to go up there running after a bloody bus for god sake.. she would have had to have crossed the road to get to the bus to.. and for a little person who cant see over the cars its not safe at all. when the little girl came back the mother shouted at her.. did u stop it hasd it gone.and then carried on arguing with the dad infront of the little girl.. god.. i jsut cant believe some people.. i told the mum last night that charlotte had headlice and she may want to check her little girls.. she replied.. oh i wouldnt be surprised if charlotte caught them from my girl.. dear me!

 

[sazzylou]

I don't let Tia out on her own. Shes not old enough imo... She knows her green cross code, but she really doesn't understand the concept of car's hitting you means dead. So she doesn't take on the responsibility when crossing the road, and tends to not really "look" iykwim. As for someone taking Tia I know that this area has lower rates of paedophilia... but Sarah Payne got abducted in broad daylight while playing with her siblings in a nice quiet area of the UK, in the country/field.... and if that can happen it can happen anywhere/anytime and no where is more "safe" than another... at the moment I know Tia isn't big enough to defend herself against a determined child snatcher and I think for now, she's safer to have mummy take her places. When she starts high school she will have to go out on her own, but she will be 12 years old by then.

Im exactly the same as you! In fact, Im worried about them starting high school as I know Joseph for the first year, will have to go alone! My sis thinks Im over protective because she lets her dd play out and about and they are the same age! Well her DD has been knocked down twice!!! Luckily each time has been a small bump and she has been fine! I know my son isnt responsible enough yet so why would I let him just because theres others who do!? And as for paedophiles! You can never know who they are! So I prefer to keep the kids in the garden!

Im the same....There are a load of kids who play in our street....but im just not ready yet and neither is Beth. Some girls from he school who live up the street play out all the time, and have done since they were about 4 years old But they used to cycle past our front gate and stand there chatting to us...we couldve been serial killers for all they knew, lol. I even told them a few times to go home cos i thought "what if the next person the chat to isnt as nice as us??". I'll be waiting a few years yet to let Beth out I know she will need her independence, but my parents didnt let me play out until i was 14!! It didnt do me any harm I might be over protective, but im just not willing to take any risks with my little girl She cant look after herself yet. When she can i'll be more than happy to let her enjoy some freedom