children and freedom?

Question

i have noticed that children have a lot less freedom to go where they please unaccompanied nowadays. my entire childhood i spent wandering about town unsupervised with other children till at least dark. it helped me become independent. i don't think times were significantly less dangerous than they are now. i am not that old. but children nowadays have a lot of supervised play-dates, and i notice significantly less children playing outside unsupervised. why is this? i live in a very safe neighborhood, alot safer than the neighborhood i grew up in.

i know there is always a chance of a child getting kidnapped or raped, i just dont think the small probability of it actually occurring should rob a child of alot of their freedom.

Answer 1

I agree, and I think it's not a good thing for our kids. When I was a kid, we roamed free on the side of the mountain till dinnertime. It was a fabulous way to grow up; I'm so grateful to my parents for giving us that; and the sad truth is that they'd probably be arrested if they raised me like that right now.

No, I don't think times are more dangerous now, either. I think the difference is in the media, especially tv media, that loves the "if it bleeds, it leads" philosophy and loves to focus on the one in a million child abduction or horrible accident. I'm sure there was always that one in a million bad thing, but it wasn't replayed endlessly on the news. All that focus on the rare bad event has skewed our ability to assess risk accurately. I think kids are at a lot more risk sitting inside playing video games and becoming obese (or bouncing on the supervised trampoline, or playing staying in the football game after a concussion) than they would be playing outside with some friends in a safe neighborhood. I also think that kids who need adults organizing their play all day are not going to grow up to be the kind of creative thinkers and risk-takers we hope they'll be....

Answer 2

In every news story you hear about a kidnapping or a child who has been raped you hear from all the neighbors that it was always such a safe neighborhood. You hear that they all thought nothing could happen in their town. It's sad. I think kids need to be out independently but in this day and age you can't do anything right. All the 'what ifs' run through our heads. No matter what you do it's wrong.

Answer 3

It does depend on the age of the child and the neighborhood that one is in, along with how that parent was raised. I myself will not let my younger children play outside alone or go far with out me until the get older and show responsibility. I have one teen that can go til dark most days. However I have another that I can not leave unattended for very long because that one is not responsible enough. I have a 4th grader that I do let play outside without me watching but can not go far. When they were younger then that they were watched until I felt they did not need it anymore.

Answer 4

I think part of it is because parents work more, don't know their neighbors as well, etc. With both parents working long hours kids are in child care programs a lot more.

I live in a more urban area than I did when I grew up and it's really not safe for kids to be walking about, just because of the traffic.

Answer 5

a lot of things has changed in the 21st century. People are starting to go insane and its partially the american government falut. The reason why a lot of kinds don't play outside by themself or wonder around, is cuz they will kidnapped or whatever. also parents don't trust there kids that much today.

Answer 6

Yea I agree. I wandered around DOWN TOWN with another friend for hours.

Answer 7

I would think that this is due to a lot more awareness, of the social problems of today, then in prior times.

Answer 8

You should be take care what they need.
Meranwhile, you must communiceate with them to prevent their BORED.